Editing Richmond, Vermont (section)

==History==

In 1775, Amos Brownson and John Chamberlain made the first settlement attempt. They abandoned their efforts in the fall of that year, but returned in the spring of 1784, at the close of the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. Richmond was incorporated by the [[Vermont General Assembly|General Assembly]] on October 27, 1794, then organized in 1795. The [[Winooski River]] and [[Huntington River]] both offered locations for [[water mill]]s. Industries began to manufacture [[wagon]]s, [[horse harness|harness]]es, [[tinware]], [[brass]], [[cabinet making|cabinet work]] and woodenware. By 1859, the population was 1,453.

Richmond is noted for the [[Round Church (Richmond, Vermont)|Round Church]], a rare 16-sided [[meeting house|meetinghouse]] that was erected in 1812–1813.<ref name="Round Church History">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oldroundchurch.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050620005600/http://www.oldroundchurch.com/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 20, 2005|title=Old Round Church|author=Richmond Historical Society|access-date=February 1, 2010}}</ref> Originally designed to be a town meeting place and a Protestant church, today it is open to the public and a popular tourist destination.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oldroundchurch.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050620005600/http://www.oldroundchurch.com/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 20, 2005|title=Richmond Historical Society - Home of the Round Church|website=www.oldroundchurch.com|access-date=January 27, 2019}}</ref>

=== Public health controversy ===
In October 2022, the town's water superintendent resigned after admitting that he had, without notifying city officials, lowered the water's fluoridation levels to less than half that recommended by the state to protect health.  The superintendent confessed that he had done so since 2011 without seeking permission; the town's water and sewer commission immediately voted to restore fluoridation to the levels recommended by public health authorities.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Fahy |first=Claire |date=October 21, 2022 |title=A Vermont Town's Water Official Resigns Amid Fluoridation Confusion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/21/us/vermont-water-fluoride-resignation.html |access-date=October 23, 2022 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>