to
Update
is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 7,222 at the 2000 census. Richmond has 5 town councilors. The villages of Kenyon, Usquepaug and Shannock are located in Richmond.
The town of Richmond, Rhode Island was originally a part of the territory of Westerly, Rhode Island (1669 to 1747), which remained in dispute for several years between the British Colonies of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
In 1665, Charles II, the King of England, dissolved the different charters of the three colonies in dispute, assumed governance, and renamed the area King’s County. In May of 1669, the General Assembly of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations organized King’s County into the town of Westerly. Subsequent to this the town of Westerly organized itself into four separate areas: Westerly, Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton.
Richmond, Rhode Island was incorporated as a separate and distinct township in 1747. It is bounded on the north by the town of Exeter, on the west by the Wood River, on the east by the towns of Exeter and South Kingstown, and on the south by the Pawcatuck River.
Previous to both Colony and British rule the southern area of Rhode Island, encompassing Westerly, Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton was inhabited and ruled by the Narragansett Indian Tribe.