Richmond Township
 

TOWNSHIP HISTORY and BUSINESS DIRECTORY
 
RICHMOND, TOWNSHIP 46, RANGE 8.
 

It was during Martin Van Buren's term, on the 15th of May, 1837,
that Mr. A. McConnell and Charles A. Noyes pitched their tents upon
the soil of Richmond, with the intention of becoming citizens of Ill-
inois; then came John Purdy, who bought part of Noyes' claim.
Alexander, David and William Gardner followed, settling
the next year on Section 26, and began the march of improvement
by putting up a saw mill on the Nippersink. In 1839, Stephen
Pardee, Briggs Thomas and Jonathan Ineson made their
claims and the Garners sold part of their water power, on the
Nippersink, to Henry White and his son, John W., who, in 1840,
 erected the first flouring-mill in the county. These settlers,
having come from a land of school houses, in the summer of 1839,
 built one of logs on the claim of William A. Mc Connell and called
 it Montalona school house, after the name of their first post office,
 whose Postmaster, William A. McConnell, received his commission
 from Amos Kendall, Van Buren's Postmaster General from
1837 to 1840. The second school house was built at Solon,
in October, 1842, and Charles Knapp managed forty pupils the first year.
Richmond village has the honor of constructing the first house
of worship, which was a union affair between the Methodists
and Congregationalists, Rev. N. Jewett being the first Pastor.
The date of this building is unknown, nor how long it was
so used, but the town now has four church buildings, owned
respectively by the Catholics, Methodists, Baptists and
Congregationalists; none of them being very strong in numbers. The
 aggregate cost of these buildings is, probably, $10,000.
The saw-mill, above mentioned as built by the Gardners,
who were assisted by the Mansfield brothers, finally fell
into the hands of the Whites, who found that it
was not in the right place, so it had to be moved
to the north side of the creek, and the same parties, in 1840,
built a flouring-mill at Solon, which is said to have been
the first grist-mill in the county. In 1844, C. G. Cotting and
 John Purdy, under the firm name of Cotting & Purdy,
at an expense of $6,000, put up the mill at Richmond,
 now owned by Cole, Cooley &Co. Cotting & Purdy,
 after seven years, dissolved partnership, the business
being continued by Cotting for thirteen years more,
when it was bought by James Bacon & Son. This mill
 is now worth $20,000. They have recently put in a steam
 engime, so as to run the mill independent of the creek,
if necessary. Robert S. Turner is now engaged in the erection of
a third flouring-mill in the town and will soon be ready
for business.
Two railroads cross this township, the Rockford & Kenosha
crossing Section 6 in a northeast and south-west direction.
 The Elgin & State Line was built to Richmond in 1855. It enters
the south side of the township, parallel to and almost identical
with but a little west of the line between Sections 32 and 33,
 thence to Richmond village, whence it bears to the west,
leaving the State about one-third of a mile west of the
east line of Section 5. This town has about seven and a half
miles of railroad. The first train was run across the Nippersink,
to where the depot now stands, on the 26th of November, 1855.
 That depot was rather a diminutive affair and was long since
replaced by the present building. Hon. William A. McConnell is one of
the Directors of this road.
One-half mile west of the village may be found the pioneer cheese
 factory of McHenry County, which was built by Wm. A. McCconnell.
It is of wood 30x112 feet, two stories high, is still running and making more
cheese than any other in the county. At Spring Grove, near the east line of the town,
 is another similar structure; in fact, the dairy business is the leading interest
of the town.Cotting & Purdy built the first store at Richmond, in 1844,
which they rented to the firm of Hale, Lee & Lay, of Kenosha, Wis.,
 who put in a large stock, in charge of Edwin A. Lay. They traded
here seven years, then went to Chicago. Previous to this time, in
May, 1842, R. R. Crosby opened a store at Solon, Leverett Steele
being afterward associated with him. This Steele was the first Postmaster at Solon.
The village of Richmond was laid out by Cotting & Purdy in 1844,
and Solon about the same time. The former has a very fine school library,
 of four hundred volumes, which is well cared for, and shows that it is
useful as well as ornamental.
At the time of the settlement, game, consisting of geese, ducks, grouse,
and deer, was abundant, while the Nippersink furnished plenty of fish to those
who loved the rod. The north and the south  branches of this creek unite
near the center of Section 27, a little southwest of Solon, whence it flows
nearly east into Burton, thence southeast into the northeast corner of
 McHenry, finally finding its way into the Fox River.
This town is well adapted to stock, and the creek affords a fine water power.
John Purdy was the first Justice of the Peace, who was succeeded by R. R. Crosby.
The village of Richmond has a graded school, of three rooms, and its reputation
 is good.
Elder Joel Wheeler, now of McHenry, preached the first sermon in the
township, in July, 1838, and, in October following,  L. S. Walker came
 from the M. E. Church Conference and formed the first Methodist class.
The first birth occurred in the family of John Purdy, on July 4, 1838,
and was a girl. The first death was in the same family and the second son,
who died August 19, 1839, aged 21 years.