Historic Richmond Town Celebrates Old Home Day!
Hundreds of Visitors Came Home to Historic Richmond Town for the Annual Old Home Day Celebration!
A family favorite for generations, Old Home Day returned last Sunday, October 21, featuring historic trades demonstrations, music, food, crafts, and sweet treats. The world of the past came alive—and many participants rekindled their own memories of Richmond Town!
Old Home Day’s roots can be traced back to the 1950s, when objects from the historical museum’s collection were brought outside to the lawn along Court Place, and visitors could enjoy demonstrations of carpentry, metalsmithing, and fiber arts. William McMillen, Richmond Town’s former Head of Restoration, fondly recalls attending this event as a child, and seeing it grow as the village, itself, expanded. McMillen’s father, Loring, was Staten Island’s borough historian, and a driving force behind the creation of what was then known as the Richmondtown Restoration, and today we are proud to offer many of the same old favorites—and some new features—as the Staten Island Historical Society continued this delightful tradition!
The village was alive with the smell of fresh bread baking in the kitchen of the historic Guyon-Lake-Tysen farmhouse. Visitors enjoyed hearty soup served in the rear-yard of the Tavern, visited with the tinsmith, leather-worker, carpenter, blacksmith and basket-maker to discover how household items were made in the 18th and 19th centuries. Weavers, quilters and tailors completed the image of a county seat from centuries passed.