Quaker Day festival Sept. 26 in Richmond

RICHMOND -- This marks a special year for the Richmond Historical Society’s Quaker Day festivities on Sept. 26, with a time capsule dedication marking the 200th anniversary of the Crew House, home to the organization’s museum.

The time capsule will be dedicated at noon during the society’s festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the vicinity of the Crew House Museum, located at 34 W. Main St., Richmond.

Plans for it and other staples of the event were finalized during the historical society’s September meeting, where President John Jones presided.

Food, a variety of vendors, live entertainment and an opportunity to self-tour the museum are all part of Quaker Day, with patrons encouraged to observe the time capsule ceremony.

The yearly festival is the key fundraiser for the historical society, which will have a variety of items for purchase, including Richmond crocks; Richmond mugs; Richmond history books; Richmond Crew House, 1826-2026 badges; Crew House note cards; Jefferson Union nutcracker ornaments; and new T-shirts for $20 that note the 200th anniversary of the Crew House.

While the historical society will have a key presence at the festival, there will be live entertainment by local musicians along with a variety of vendors on hand, including the Richmond Lions Club; the women of the Richmond United Presbyterian Church; McConnell pumpkins and gourds; Grafton honey and honey candy; Debbie and Harry Thomas, offering wooden crosses and foldable nativities; Richmond Methodist Church, promoting participation in its community trunk-or-treat festivities in October; Let’s Fight Together by T.J. Anderson; and apples and apple cider.

The Crew House Museum, meanwhile, will be open to visitors and includes a variety of village memorabilia as well as an extensive second-floor display of school items from Jefferson Union High School. There is no admission to the museum, but donations are appreciated, officials said.

Also on display in the museum will be items that were part of a time capsule the historical society prepared in 1976 in honor of the nation’s bicentennial. It was opened during the Richmond Lions Club’s community picnic held June 28 at Richmond Park.

The house turned museum was built in 1825-26 by Henry Crew, a native of Virginia who came to Richmond in 1814. For $85, Crew purchased the lot on which the museum of today sits from Joseph Talbott on Oct. 21, 1817, and constructed a homestead that housed four generations of the Crew family.

In the family name for 146 years and sold 11 times among Crew family members, the house was last occupied by Evelyn “Eppie” Crew, great-granddaughter of Henry and Margaret Crew. She lived there until her death in 1972. It was then willed to George Lobmiller, a Richmond pharmacist whose intentions to construct a parking lot there became the springboard for historical society interest in having the building preserved as a local landmark.

Richmond in 1815 was primarily a Quaker settlement against slavery. The Crew House was a stop on the Underground Railroad, instrumental in helping many runaway slaves on the road to Canada and freedom.

The historical society, in cooperation with the village, was able to preserve the building through a grant from HUD and with volunteer help. Contributions of antiques and memorabilia came from community donations. An open house held on Memorial Day in May 1979 celebrated the completion of renovations to the Crew House.

The historical society owns the museum contents and works in partnership with the village, which owns the building.

In 2025, the historical society marked its 50th anniversary. The nonprofit, chartered on Jan. 20, 1975, was organized to gather Richmond historical information, to restore and maintain historic objects and places, to establish a museum and to gather and maintain the community’s historical heritage for future generations.

In addition to organizing Richmond’s Memorial Day parade and hosting the Quaker Day celebration, it has summer open houses.

Aside from Jones, officers are Marge Andres, vice president; Sandy Judy, secretary; and Wendy Byers, treasurer.

Anyone is welcome to attend historical society meetings or become a member. Annual dues are $5. A lifetime membership is $50. The historical society’s next meeting is set for 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Crew House Museum.

For overall information, call Sandy Judy at (740) 765-4534. The website is crewhouse.weebly.com.