Editing New Richmond, Ohio (section)

==History==
New Richmond was once the largest and most flourishing village in Clermont County. Located along the banks of the Ohio River, it had a superior location about twenty miles east and south of [[Cincinnati]].

Present-day New Richmond was surveyed on June 3, 1778, consisting of Robert Beal's {{convert|1000|acre|adj=on}} survey No. 847 (purchased by Gen. [[William Haines Lytle|William Lytle]] and sold to Thomas Ashburn in 1813) and David Jackson's {{convert|333|acre|adj=on}} survey No. 1539 (purchased by Jacob Light in 1804). Light laid out the village on September 19–22, 1814, reportedly with the help of his nephew, who suggested the name of his hometown of [[Richmond, Virginia]]. In February 1816, Ashburn platted the village of Susanna (named for his second wife) adjoining the upper east side of New Richmond.  Among the principal features of Susanna was a large promenade along the Ohio River which still exists today as Captain Ernest Wagner Park.{{sfn|Everts|1880|p=406}}<ref name="Parks">{{cite web|title=Village of New Richmond Park Locations|publisher=Village of New Richmond|date=November 13, 2008|page=4|access-date=September 17, 2013|url=http://www.newrichmond.org/parks.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211011634/http://www.newrichmond.org/parks.pdf|archive-date=February 11, 2015}}</ref>

In 1817, the [[Ohio General Assembly]] formed [[Brown County, Ohio|Brown County]] out of Clermont County's eastern half, leaving Clermont County's courthouse in [[Williamsburg, Ohio|Williamsburgh]] at the far eastern edge of the county. In 1823, despite opposition in Williamsburgh, the General Assembly moved the county seat to New Richmond. No courthouse was ever built there; only a year later, a central location for the county seat was found in [[Batavia, Ohio|Batavia]].<ref name="Common Pleas history 3">{{cite web|title=Courthouses History, Page 3|publisher=Clermont County Common Pleas Court|access-date=September 17, 2013|url=http://www.clermontcommonpleas.com/history3.aspx}}</ref><ref name="Collins">{{cite web|title=Clermont County, Ohio General History|first1=Tammy|last1=Collins|publisher=[[Ancestry.com|RootsWeb]]|year=2007|access-date=September 17, 2013|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~clermontcountyohio/generalhistory.htm}}</ref>

Although New Richmond and Susanna complimented each other, the General Assembly passed an act on January 11, 1828, that merged them as the Village of New Richmond.{{sfn|Everts|1880|p=406}}<ref name="History 2008">{{cite web|title=History of New Richmond|publisher=Village of New Richmond|year=2008|access-date=September 17, 2013|url=http://www.newrichmond.org/historyofnr.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013050843/http://www.newrichmond.org/historyofnr.htm|archive-date=October 13, 2014}}</ref>

In 1833, New Richmond contained one [[gristmill]], one saw mill, two [[carding]] machines, ten stores, two churches, and 120 residential houses.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dt48AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA344 | title=The Ohio Gazetteer, or, a Topographical Dictionary | publisher=Scott and Wright | year=1833 | access-date=December 12, 2013 | author=Kilbourn, John | pages=344}}</ref>

The residents of New Richmond took an early stance against slavery. The [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] [[James G. Birney]] began publishing ''[[The Philanthropist (Cincinnati, Ohio)|The Philanthropist]]'' in New Richmond until moving it to Cincinnati in 1836.<ref name="History 2008" />

New Richmond was a busy hub of [[steamboat]] building with names such as ''Allegheny'', ''Zephyr'', Lancasters ''No. 1'', ''No. 2'', ''No. 3'', and ''No. 4'', ''William Tell'', and ''Clermont''.{{sfn|Everts|1880|p=413}}

Most of New Richmond lies on the [[floodplain]] of the Ohio River, making it vulnerable to severe flooding. Some of the first recorded floods occurred in 1898, 1907, and 1913.<ref name="Historic photos">{{cite web|title=Photo Album|publisher=Historic New Richmond|year=2004|url=http://www.historicnewrichmond.org/photoalbum.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041209193145/http://www.historicnewrichmond.org/photoalbum.html|archive-date=December 9, 2004}}</ref> In the [[Ohio River flood of 1937|Great Flood of 1937]], the worst natural disaster in New Richmond's history, the village lost 250 homes out of 415 total.<ref name="Whitt">{{cite book|chapter=1937 Flood, New Richmond|title=New Richmond, Ohio: Historical Collections|first1=Aileen|last1=Whitt|year=1997|location=[[Owensville, Ohio]]|publisher=Owensville Historical Society|access-date=September 17, 2013|url=http://www.owensvillehistoricalsociety.com/Articles/The_1937_Flood.htm}}</ref><ref name="1937 video">{{cite press release|title=Clermont Video Captures Memories of the 1937 Flood|publisher=Clermont County, Ohio|date=February 7, 2011|access-date=September 17, 2013|url=http://www.clermontcountyohio.gov/nr0212flood.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031003832/http://www.clermontcountyohio.gov/nr0212flood.aspx|archive-date=October 31, 2013}}</ref> Floods in 1955, 1964, 1967, 1997 and 2018 again devastated the village.<ref name="Historic photos" /><ref name="Enquirer Wolff rebuilding">{{cite news|title=Hardy rebuild in New Richmond|first1=Christine|last1=Wolff|work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]|publisher=[[Gannett Company]]|date=June 10, 1997|access-date=September 17, 2013|url=http://enquirer.com/flood/061097_flnewrichmond.html|quote=When the river crested March 5 at 64.7 feet, the worst flooding since 1964 left New Richmond soaked and stunned but not subdued.}}</ref> The [[Floods in the United States: 1901–2000#Ohio River Valley flood of March 1997|March 1997 flood]] sent {{convert|6|ft}} of floodwaters "the color of coffee with milk" up Center Street and into the homes of about two-thirds of the village's population of 2,500.<ref name="Enquirer Wolff moving">{{cite news|title=Lord will take care of us|first1=Christine|last1=Wolff|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|publisher=Gannett Company|date=March 13, 1997|access-date=September 17, 2013|url=http://enquirer.com/flood/031397_flelam.html|quote=Opaque water the color of coffee with milk flowed 6 feet deep on Center Street.}}</ref> Houses were found covered in "several feet of river slime", and the New Richmond School District closed for at least a week. Residents relied on personal boats for transportation between rooftops or for evacuation. Governor [[George Voinovich]] visited [[New Richmond High School]], which was being used as a [[American Red Cross|Red Cross]] shelter for flood victims.<ref name="Enquirer Theis">{{cite news|title=Voinovich pleased with efforts|first1=Sandy|last1=Theis|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|publisher=Gannet Company|date=March 8, 1997|access-date=September 17, 2013|url=http://enquirer.com/flood/030897_flvoinovich.html|quote=The pledge drew smiles from stressed New Richmond leaders, who found several feet of river slime Friday when they returned to the evacuated village.}}</ref>

On March 2, 2011, the Clermont County Commissioners denied a petition by New Richmond to withdraw from Ohio township by forming a [[paper township]].<ref name="Sun Roller">{{cite news|title=Commissioners to hold hearing on New Richmond 'paper' township|first1=Brett A.|last1=Roller|work=[[The Clermont Sun]]|location=Batavia, Ohio|date=February 17, 2011|access-date=September 17, 2013|url=http://clermontsun.com/2011/02/17/commissioners-to-hold-hearing-on-new-richmond-paper-township/}}</ref><ref name="No paper township">{{cite press release|title=No Fifteenth Township in Clermont County, For Now|publisher=Clermont County, Ohio|date=March 2, 2011|access-date=September 17, 2013|url=http://www.clermontcountyohio.gov/nr0311newrichmond.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201150930/http://www.clermontcountyohio.gov/nr0311newrichmond.aspx|archive-date=February 1, 2015}}</ref>