====== Richwood ====== Named for the local [[Richwood Presbyterian Church|church]] that predated it, the [[towns|town]] of Richwood grew up along the Covington-Lexington turnpike (U.S. 25), which linked Northern Kentucky with the Kentucky Bluegrass region. The level to gently rolling farmland around Richwood is the richest in eastern [[Boone County]], and farmers there were well-served by an excellent [[transportation in boone county|transportation]] network. Sleet Family Picnic, circa 1940 The prosperity of some Richwood farms relied on [[African-Americans|African-American]] slave labor, as well as Irish immigrant labor. In the years before the [[Civil War]], the capture of runaway [[slavery|slaves]] from Richwood gained national attention, especially the case of [[Margaret Garner]]. The Civil War came to the Richwood area on September 25, [[1862]] with the [[Skirmish at Snow's Pond]], near the village of [[Kensington]]. A Kentucky Highway marker now marks the site of the encounter, which was one of only two Civil War engagements in Boone County. In the mid-[[1870s]], the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific [[railroads|Railroad]], later part of the Southern Railroad system, laid tracks parallel to the Dry Ridge Divide, stopping at [[Walton]] and Richwood. A depot and section house were built in town, and a pond was dug to supply water for the steam locomotives. The depot was the center of the small community, with a general store and a [[schools|schoolhouse]] nearby. On the west side of the tracks farmer [[Hoggins family|Wesley Hoggins]] operated a horse barn, cattle barn, and scales. A [[banks|bank]] was founded in 1909 but closed after several years of operation. With the construction of Interstate 75, car and truck traffic through Richwood vastly increased, and large-scale commercial and industrial development followed. By the 1990s Richwood was part of an industrial corridor extending south from [[Florence]] toward [[Walton]]. ===== More Information ===== * [[https://bcp.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/history/search/results?qu=richwood&te=&lm=LHDC|Browse photographs and materials]] on the Richwood area ===== Related Topics ===== * [[Towns]] in Boone County * [[historic_homes|Historic Homes]] * [[richwood_presbyterian_church|Richwood Presbyterian Church]] * [[richwood_church_african_american_files|African Americans in Richwood Church Records]] * [[margaret_garner|Margaret Garner]]