Greenwich, Massachusetts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Greenwich, Massachusetts
Town
Photograph from 'The Meeting-House' depicted in Quabbin; the story of a small town with outlooks upon Puritan life by Francis H. Underwood The church is in Enfield.
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Hampshire
Incorporated	1739
Disincorporated	April 28, 1938
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern

Greenwich (pronounced GREEN-witch) was a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA. It was one of four towns that were "lost" when the Quabbin Reservoir was created. This huge reservoir was built to provide drinking water for the growing city of Boston. Today, most of Greenwich is underwater, but its history is still remembered.

History of Greenwich

An early 1900s postcard showing the Greenwich Village train station.

Greenwich was officially started in 1739. It was first known as Quabbin. In 1754, it became the town of Greenwich, named after John Campbell, who was the Duke of Greenwich. The town was located along the East and Middle branches of the Swift River.

A train line, the Athol Branch of the Boston and Albany Railroad, ran right through the middle of town. Route 21 also passed through Greenwich. The town was famous for its beautiful lakes and ponds, which were popular places for vacations. Greenwich shared its borders with four other towns: Enfield, Prescott, Dana, and Hardwick.

Greenwich in Fiction

Interestingly, the famous horror writer H. P. Lovecraft used Greenwich as inspiration for his stories. His fictional town of Dunwich in "The Dunwich Horror" was partly based on Greenwich. Also, his story "The Colour Out of Space" is set in this valley before it was flooded for the reservoir.

The Town's Disappearance

Greenwich was officially closed down on April 28, 1938. This happened because of the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir. When the town was closed, parts of its land were added to nearby towns like Hardwick, New Salem, Petersham, and Ware.

Because most of Greenwich was in a low-lying area, it is now largely underwater. However, some higher parts, like the tops of Curtis Hill, Mount Lizzie, and Mount Pomeroy, are still visible as islands in the reservoir.

Notable People from Greenwich

Many interesting people came from Greenwich:

• Mason C. Darling (1801–1866) was a doctor and a politician in Massachusetts and Wisconsin.
• Joseph Pomeroy Root (1826–1885) was a strong supporter of Kansas becoming a free state. He was also the first Lieutenant Governor of Kansas.
• Randolph Barnes Marcy (1812-1887) was a Major General in the U.S. Army during the Civil War.
• Amiel Weeks Whipple (1816-1863) was also a Major General in the U.S. Army. He was badly wounded in the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863 and died a few days later.

Related Places

• Greenwich House is a living facility on the campus of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. It is named after the former town of Greenwich.

Images for kids

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  Camp Pomeroy, Greenwich, Mass., March 15, 1928.

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  Camp Quabbin, Greenwich, Mass., April 4, 1928.

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  Addison D. Moore's icehouse, Greenwich, Mass., December 23, 1932.