Richmond/Wayne County is located in Indiana in the mid-western area of the United States of America, west of Ohio, south of Michigan, east of Illinois, and north of Kentucky.

Wayne County's placement on the eastern edge of Indiana allows it to shares it's eastern border with Preble County, Ohio.  To the south is Fayette and Union counties, to the north is Randolph county, and Henry county to the west.

Richmond (county seat)
Elevation: 966
USGS 7.5' x 7.5'
Latitude: 394944N
Longitude: 0845325W
Location
County Feature Details
Watershed Information 

Wayne County currently adheres to Eastern Time.  Beginning April 2, 2006, Wayne County will observe Eastern Daylight Time. Learn more about Time Zones in Indiana.

Wayne County contains the "highest point in Indiana" with an elevation of 1,257 feet above sea level.  The location is on private property near Bethel, Indiana.

Weather Records & Averages for Richmond, Indiana - by WeatherBase.Com

Indiana State Information Center - facts and figures about the State of Indiana.

Wayne County Profile - from the Indiana Business Research Center

EPA Regulated Facilities by Zip Code 

Income Tax Statistics by Zip Code 

Statistical Resources on the Web - University of Michigan Documents Center

39,124 - population of Richmond, Indiana in 2000 Census

Wayne County Census 2000 

FedStats for Wayne County, Indiana

Census Info for 6th Congressional District

Indiana Census Data - Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University

StatsIndiana - Wayne County Profile

US Census Bureau - Quick Facts

Population Reference Bureau - making sense from the Census. 

Biographies of Prominent Local Residents - including, among others, Harriet Bard, Mattie Curl Dennis, Mary Taylor Reeves Foulke, Julia Meek Gaar, Mary E. Hill, Ella Bond Johnston, Esther A. Kellner, Virginia Claypool Meredith, Caroline Middleton Reeves, Julia E. Test, Dr. Mary F. Thomas, Esther Griffin White, William Dudley Foulke, Harry Frankel (Singin' Sam), David Hoover, Solomon Meredith, Robert Morrisson, James  E. Reeves, Mark E. Reeves, Daniel G. Reid.

Polly Bergen, famous motion picture and TV actress lived in Richmond, Indiana [Wikipedia entry]

Elizabeth Burchenal (1876-1959) is remembered as a founding leader in the 'International Folk Dance' movement.

Hoagy Carmichael recorded Star Dust in Richmond, Indiana. Others, who did their recording at the Gennett Recording Studio were Bing Crosby and Jelly Roll Morton.

Mary Lou Carney  (1949 - ) best-selling author and the former editor of Guideposts for Kids magazine published by Guideposts is a Williamsburg High School graduate.

Al Cobine - musician - big band leader and tenor sax soloist, played with his own band, Henry Mancini, Andy Williams & others.

Marjorie Benton Cooke (1876-1920) Wrote four silent films from 1920 to 1926, three based on her novels, "The Incubus", "The Girl Who Lived in the Woods" and "Cinderella Jane". The films were re- titled, "Her Husband's Friend", "Little Fraid Lady" and "The Mad Marriage".

George Duning (b. 1908 in Richmond - 2000) Nominated for Oscars for "Best Music, Scoring of of a Musical/Dramatic Picture" for...The Eddie Duchin Story (1956), Picnic (1955), From Here to Eternity (1953), No Sad Songs for Me (1950), Jolson Sings Again (1949). 

Weeb Ewbank - famous NFL coach directed the Baltimore Colts to a NFL championship in 1959 and guided the upstart New York Jets and quarterback Joe Namath of the old AFL to the world title in 1969. They defeated his old team, the Baltimore Colts, 16-7, in Super Bowl III.  Mr. Ewbank and his wife, Lucy, were Richmond, Indiana natives.

John Finley - Richmond, Indiana mayor from 1852 until his death in 1866, Mr. Finley wrote the poem "The Hoosier's Nest", which is sometimes cited as the first written reference to the word "Hoosier".

Norman Foster  - actor and director - director of Charlie Chan films and Disney's Davy Crockett and Zorro. Once married to Claudette Colbert. (1903 - 1976) [Wikipedia entry] [photos]

Connie White Jones - educator - began the "Core Knowledge" movement as principal at "Three Oaks Elementary" in Fort Myers, FL.  Ms. Jones grew up and attended school in Whitewater, IN.

Harold Jones - musician - one of the legends of the straight ahead style of big band drumming. He worked and toured with the Count Basie Orchestra, Sarah Vaughn, and Natalie Cole, among others. [Bio]

Harry Keenan (b. 1867 in Richmond - 1944) Actor, made 11 films from 1914 to 1916.

Margaret Landon, author - began writing the book, "Anna and the King of Siam", on which the musical, "The King and I" is based,  in Richmond and read parts of it to the Richmond Scribblers club on several occasions. (Palladium-Item, November 14, 1946)

Jeff Hamilton - musician - versatile jazz drummer with many hit recordings. He has been on nearly 200 recordings with artists such as Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Rosemary Clooney, Barbara Streisand, and Mel Torme.

Joe Longstreth - musician/actor/literary agent/radio & tv host (b.? - d. 2003)

Mike Lopresti - reporter - sports columnist for the Gennett News Service, USA Today, began as a reporter for the Palladium-Item.  He continues to live in Richmond and is active in community affairs.

Lamar Lundy (1935 - 2007) member of the "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line for the Los Angeles Rams - with Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier, and Deacon Jones.  (Wikipedia | Football Cards | IN Basketball Hall of Fame)

Kenneth MacDonald (1901 - 1972)  actor, often playing the role of the villain in early westerns.  He also appeared in Three Stooges films and as a Superior Court Judge in the popular Perry Mason series.

Barry Manilow - entertainer - began his career playing piano at the Holiday Inn in Richmond, Indiana. (See pages 63, 66-67 in Barry Manilow's biography, Sweet Life, Adventures on the Way to Paradise, McGraw-Hill, ISBN:0070399042)

Charles Bruce Millholland, from Economy - wrote a play based on his experiences on the Twentieth Century Limited. He titled it, Napoleon of Broadway. Charles McArthur and Ben Hecht worked on it and retitled it, Twentieth Century. It was made into the 1934 film with Carole Lombard and John Barrymore, directed by Hoosier Howard Hawks. It also has been on Broadway at least three times.

Richard "Rich" Wayne Mullins (1955 - 1997) - contemporary Christian songwriter and recording artist - 10 time Dove award nominee and winner of Artist of the Year at the 1998 Dove Awards.  Cover story in the November 1997 issue of CCM magazine.  Rich remembered his Wayne County roots with such songs as "First Family" and Boy Like Me / Man Like You, in which he mentions Reid Memorial Hospital. 
Read more about him in the book, Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven
by James Bryan Smith ( Book & CD edition, September 2000, Broadman & Holman Publishers; ISBN: 0805421351)

Sara Purcell, TV personality, host of Real People, was a former resident of Richmond.

Tom Raper - business and community leader - founder of the world's largest RV dealership, Tom Raper, Inc., located in Richmond, Indiana. 

Ned Rorem - born in Richmond in 1923, Time Magazine has called him "the world's best composer of art songs."

Johnny Ringo - famous outlaw who became the chief antagonist of Wyatt Earp.  Ringo was born in Greens Fork, Indiana (then known as Washington).

Singin' Sam, the Barbasol Man, (Harry Frankel) the highest paid radio performer in his time, was a Richmond native and retired to Richmond before his death at the age of 60 on June 12, 1948. [Learn more about Barbasol.] [Additional Photo]

"Single G" Birthplace - Famous harness racehorse - who won 264 heat race victories in 436 starts. He was owned by William Barefoot of Cambridge, City, Indiana. For more information, read "Single G; the Horse That Time Forgot" by Marie Hill "

Ralph R. Teetor - Former president of Perfect Circle, inventor of the "Speed-O-Stat", now known as the cruise control, established the Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award for S.A.E., - from Hagerstown, Indiana. Mr. Teetor is an inductee in the Automotive Hall of Fame. Read more about him in the book, One Man's Vision: The Life of Automotive Pioneer Ralph R. Teetor, by Marjorie Teetor Meyer. (ISBN:1-878208-66-7, hardback or ISBN: 1-878208-67-5, paperback) [Bio by Cruise-In]

Dr. Mary Thomas - the the first woman admitted to the Indiana Medical College and the second woman admitted to the American Medical Association.

Dr. D. Elton Trueblood,  famous religious leader and author of several books - made Richmond his home as he taught at Earlham College for many years.

Gaar Williams, famous Chicago Tribune cartoonist was born in Richmond, Indiana.

Wilbur Wright - Co-Inventor of the Airplane with his brother, Orville - Wilbur attended school in Richmond, Indiana.  His family moved to Dayton, Ohio in June of 1884 just before he would have received his diploma from Richmond High School.  The diploma was awarded to him posthumously on April 16, 1994. Visit Wilbur Wright's birthplace in nearby Henry County. (Other Wright sites: 1, 2, 3)

Famous Visitors Index - Many famous folks who were not from Wayne County, Indiana still visited here.  You'll be amazed and spellbound reading through this list of who's who in American history!
 

William Jennings Bryan recorded his "Cross of Gold" speech in Richmond, Indiana. 

Thomas Owens Edwards - (1810-1876) a Representative from Ohio; born in Williamsburg, Ind., March 29, 1810

Oliver P. Morton, Civil War Governor, was born in Salisbury, near Centerville, Indiana. (Salisbury no longer exists.) Mr. Morton was also elected to the U.S. Senate in 1867.
 

C. Francis Jenkins - First Motion Picture Projector and early television inventor - Richmond native.   Invented on a bet that 5 gaited horses could have all four feet in the air at the same time The animated movie was shown in downtown Richmond in an upstairs apartment over a local jewelry store.  June 6, 1894, in Richmond, was the first public showing of a motion picture. (1867 - 1934)   C. Francis Jenkins - More, The Baird/Jenkins System, Television History - The First 75 Years, Adventures in Cybersound, Who's Who of Victorian Cinema, Rotary lens apparatus for C. Francis Jenkins's motion picture camera, W3XK -- America's first television station, Dictionary of Inventors

Home of early automobiles - The Pilot, The Westcott, The Richmond, The Rodefeld, The Davis and The Richmond "Steam Runabout" were part of Indiana's Automotive Heritage.

Home of the former Starr Piano Company, Richmond, Indiana. 

Gennett Record Company produced historic jazz recordings.

Hoagy Carmichael recorded Star Dust in Richmond, Indiana. Others who did their recording at the Gennett Recording Studio were Bing Crosby and Jelly Roll Morton.

Dillie-McGuire made Richmond, Indiana the Lawnmower Capitol of the World in the 1930's and 1940's. (History of the Lawn Mower) (Residence of Elwood McGuire)

Micajah C. Henley did much to  perfect the Roller Skate during the 1880's in Richmond, Indiana.

First High School Orchestra - Richmond High School, Richmond, Indiana.

Richmond High School has the only Art Museum housed in an operating high school.

The National Road (U.S.40) was built through the center of Wayne County and played a large role in the early success of our communities.

Indiana Railroads played an important part in the industrialization of this area.

• Stanley Hayes,  brought Hayes Track Appliance Company to Richmond in 1911.  Mr. Hayes success allowed him to leave Wayne County the wonderful legacy of Hayes Arboretum.  

Wayne Works for many years made Richmond synonymous with school buses.
 

Fossiliferous limestone of the Ordovician Period is 425 Million years old in the Whitewater Gorge, and is one of only two places in the United States where this type of limestone is exposed to the surface. The abundant fossils in the rocks of the Gorge have attracted Paleontologists and amateur collectors to the area for over one hundred years.

As the last Ice Age drew to a close and the Wisconsin glaciers began melting back from the Wayne County area eighteen to twenty thousand years ago, one huge lobe of ice lingered in the valley of the East Fork of the Whitewater River.   Geologists tell us this vast mound of ice produced a raging flood of water as it melted over a period of years. The flood was so powerful in summer that along one of its paths it cut a narrow channel scores of feet deep right into the ancient bedrock. Today that channel is known as the Whitewater River Gorge.  Visit our page, The Whitewater Valley Gorge Park, for more geological details, history, and hiking information.

• The Richmond Group - details on the area rock
• Indiana Geology
• Indiana Earthquake History - by the US Geological Survey
• Earthquakes in Indiana? - by the Indiana Geological Survey
• Freeze Frame - information about the Ice Age in Indiana by the Indiana Geological Survey
• Whitewater Formation - another rock group