Old VT law regarding railroads and the turnpike ⁴

In the summer of 1846, over 2,000 people were working on building the railroad in Vermont. They worked from dawn to dusk, laying rails and putting ties in place. Laying railroad ties and rails can be very dangerous and hard work. Three hundred of these workers were Irish immigrants who were trying to get money for their families.

On the first of July 1846, the railroad employees were not getting the money they were promised. So they organized to go on strike. They all agreed to stop working and demanded their money. They were promised that they would get their money next month, so they went back to work for another month. At the end of that mouth when they did not get their money they dug trenches in the Winooski turnpike (US Route 2) in protest. Finally the rioters were told that the company would go to the capital (Montpelier) to get their money. While one guy was in Montpelier they held the other guy hostage until the guy that went to Montpelier got back. After all, the rioters got their money. We do not know the fate of the hostage holders. ¹

Around 1900 Richmond was considered a countryside destination. Everybody would come to Richmond on the railroad for the weekend. Because there were so many people coming to Richmond, it brought the movie theater and a lot of other shops to town. For instance, the barber shop, hardware store, and clothing stores. Around 1906 there was a high demand for more exotic foods like pork, beef, oysters, bananas, onions, and fresh fish. ²

Today, the Amtrak train passes through Richmond at 10am on its way from Essex Junction to Waterbury. It returns at 8pm.³ The train station is no longer there. The nearest stations are either Waterbury or Essex Junction. Freight trains also pass through Richmond occasionally. The train used to be important to the town to ship and deliver goods, but now we use trucks and airplanes.