BATAVIA — It was a sanctuary for the city’s impoverished and orphaned youth, the home where titans of Batavia’s past planned their business and philanthropic endeavors, and a symbol of an era of land speculation whose  loss four decades ago galvanized a community towards preservation.

The Richmond Mansion is now long gone, but its memory and its inhabitants role in shaping the city’s institutions were celebrated warmly at the dedication of a new historic marker outside the Richmond Memorial Library.

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