Settlement of the Richland County area began around 1815 when Thaddeus Morehouse, a native of Vermont, arrived by wagon and built a log cabin along a stagecoach route that ran from Vincennes, Indiana to St. Louis.

[citation needed] The Civil War brought a great deal of turmoil to the county as there were sympathies for both sides.

While most citizens rallied around the Union it was necessary to have troops stationed in Olney to enforce the draft as union deserters found refuge among local citizens.

One hundred years later the 1950 census found a spot north of Olney near Dundas to be the population center of the United States.

[7] As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 8,631 people, 3,755 households, and 2,301 families residing in the city.

The racial makeup of the city was 97.67% White, 0.48% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races.

33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

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