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Dorothy P. King, postmaster, Greenwich Village, ca.1935
First granted in 1737 to descendants of the veterans of King Philip's (Metacomet's) War, and incorporated as Quabbin Parish in 1754, the town of Greenwich sat astride the East and Middle branches of the Swift River and formed the eastern boundary of Hampshire County. The first town to occupy the valley, its unforgiving and rocky soils were devoted largely to agricultural use and pasturage, with light industry developing during the nineteenth century. A woolen mill; scythe, rake, fork, and broom manufactories; at least two saw mills; a match factory; and a plating operation employed a handful of workers each. Ice harvesting and a small cottage industry centered on the manufacture of palm-leaf hats providing additional employment. Before the turn of the twentieth century, the rise of a tourist industry exploiting the town's numerous ponds and lakes became an important element of the local economy, with the Quabbin Inn, Greenwich Hotel, and Dugmar Golf Course becoming popular summer destinations.
Well connected to neighboring towns by two turnpikes and the "Rabbit Run" Railroad, the two principal villages (Greenwich Plains and Greenwich Village) supported a population of nearly 1,100 before declining slowly after about 1850. Like the other towns in the Swift River Valley (Dana, Enfield, and Prescott), Greenwich's fortunes dimmed considerably after the 1890s. Confronted with a critical demand for water in the Boston metropolitan region in 1895, the Commonwealth authorized the new Metropolitan Water District to seek new supplies in the western parts of the state. Construction of the Wachusett Reservoir along the Nashua River (1897-1908) bought time, but ultimately failed to meet projected demand, and by 1922, the MWD officially signaled its intention of damming the Swift River Valley, signifying an end to habitation there. All residents were ordered removed from the valley, with homes, farms, and places of business systematically destroyed, the land cleared, and graves removed.
Work on the Quabbin Reservoir began four years later with construction of the Ware River Diversion, a tunnel connecting the Wachusett Reservoir with the Ware River, followed in 1936 by construction of the Goodnough Dike and Windsor Dam. Greenwich was officially disincorporated by the state on April 28, 1938, with the above-water portions annexed to nearby Hardwick, New Salem, Petersham, and Ware. On Aug. 14, 1939, the reservoir began to fill.
As the first town settled in the Swift River Valley, Greenwich, Mass., offers a long perspective on the history of the region inundated to create the Quabbin Reservoir. The core of this collection consists of the records of town meetings and the Selectmen of Greenwich from the Proprietary period in the 1730s through disincorporation in 1938, but there is some documentation of the town's Congregational Church, a local school, the library, and the Greenwich Improvement Society. This finding aid includes both materials held by SCUA and those held at the
The collection is open for research.
This finding aid includes materials digitized in partnership with the
Gift of Donald W. Howe, 1960; digital content made possible through a collaboration with the
Processed by I. Eliot Wentworth, Ken Fones-Wolf, Linda Seidman, and others, 1984-2014.
Additional material relating to the history of the four Quabbin towns is indexed in SCUA's online catalog,
The
The official records of Greenwich have been largely digitized and are available both through the
Originals held by the
Originals held by the
Blank book with manuscript records of Greenwich soldiers added by H.B. Hodgkin, appointed clerk March 6, 1882. Another unbound copy with no volume indication but "Waste Part No." at head of title, has same records but lacks final thirteen. This copy is accompanied by an unbound index volume.
The churches of Greenwich, Massachusetts, were both places of worship and centers of fellowship. With the congregations disbanded and the buildings razed during the construction of the Quabbin Reservoir, this collection of programs, circulars, and news clippings preserves a snapshot of the churches and the communities they fostered.
Clippings on burning the church mortgage and churches of Enfield and Greenwich
Originals held by the
Includes constitution, minutes of annual and executive meetings, lists of members, and (some on laid in slips) records of dues received. The Greenwich Improvement Society was formed in April 1897. The object of the Society was "the construction and care of side-walks, the improvement of streets, the planting and cultivation of trees, the beautifying of the public grounds and such other improvements as the Excecutive Committee may order."
Register for winter term 1873-1874 for School District No. 5. Includes list of students, attendance, headmarks, visitor records, and a few statistics all kept by teacher Ernest Howe Vaughan, who later became a lawyer involved with handling claims associated with the taking of property for the Quabbin Reservoir.
Originals held by the
Title may vary from year to year.
Originals held by the
Headings include: date of fire; class of buildings (wood, brick or stone); how occupied (dwelling, store, manufactory); names of owners and occupants; valuation, damage, and insurance information concerning the building and the contents; total or partial loss, cause of fire, remarks
Originals held by the
Includes constitution, minutes of meetings and transfers of shares
Originals held by the
The collection contains five photographs of envelopes bearing the Greenwich postmark, 1826, 1829, 1831, and two unidentified by date. It also includes three photographs of W. Walker's store and post office in Greenwich Village, showing the sign of the last owner, S.R. King, before the town was flooded for the Quabbin Reservoir in 1938.
Brochure advertising Quabbin Inn, proprietor Otis Emerson Dunham, and its amenities and vacationing opportunities.