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    Greenwich History

    Before and After Photos of the Greenwich Reservoir – Winter of 1956-57 – a donation by Mr. Chase of North Fairfield

    gr-reservoir-1957-001

    Greenwich Reservoir Park before the Reservoir – 1956

    gr-reservoir-1957-002

    Greenwich Reservoir Park after the Reservoir – 1957

    Comments by Russ Enzor

    Both of these photos were probably 1957. The lower one could possibly be early 1958. The road on the left of the upper photo was not built until 1957 when the Corps of Engineers was constructing the reservoir. On a spring day in 1957 Gerald Kramb used his ‘dozer to cut open the north end of the old reservoir to drain it. The town could not have afforded to construct the new one if the Corps of Engineers had not come in to do it. I was only 15 but I was allowed to drive one of their trucks to haul dirt away. In the foreground of the upper photo is the property of A.C. Miller our next door neighbor to the north. In the foreground of the lower photo is the property of my parents, Dean and Madge Enzor. They gave permission to have a pool constructed on our land to catch silt so the new reservoir would not silt in. Many of us delightfully swam in the new reservoir until, tragically, my good friend Jim Barker drowned on July 4th, 1958. There is a memorial page to him in the 1959 South Central yearbook. Eventually, swimming was banned all together. Thanks again for the great work you are doing in posting these old photos.

    Murray Dray Service – 1910-1920

    murray dray service106  Just found this one of my grandfather, J.H. Murray, with one of the 17 teams of horses and wagons that he and his brother-in-law, J.D. Momeyer used in their dray service, ca. 1910-1920. Many trains stopped at Greenwich in those days and unloaded freight. Murray and Momeyer Dray Service delivered that freight to homes and businesses. They hauled most of the building materials for the East Greenwich School ca. 1914. You can see from this photo that the mill and elevator was run by steam power around the time of WW 1. The tall smoke stack is seen on the south side. The car looks like it might be a Model T Ford.Sometime after 1920 my grandfather began driving a truck owned by the mill and elevator.

    J. H. Murray Trucking Service.

    J. H. Murray Trucking Service.

    After WW 2 he drove a truck owned by John Albert of Greenwich. I rode with him often to pick up cattle at local farms and haul the stock to the Cleveland Stock Yards.
    At the time of this photo my grandfather would use his best looking teams of horses to pull the hearse for funerals. The undertaker, who owned the hearse, would furnish the ornate harness for the horses.
    Most of these details I learned from my uncle Wilbur Murray during a long conversation we had 45 years ago.

    Submitted by Russ Enzor


    Mystery Solved! – A Semicentennial Founding of Greenwich Celebration – A.R. Howard photographs – 1929

    Photos from the Collection of A.R. Howard

    A Semicentennial Celebration of Greenwich

    Thanks to Clark Hunter!

    Fourth of July Parade in Greenwich - circa 1917

    Semicentennial Founding  Parade in Greenwich  – February 1929 (5oth year since the incorporation of West Greenwich)

    A Gathering for the raising of a 38 star flag (the flag when Greenwich was founded)

    A Gathering for the raising of a 38 star flag (the flag when Greenwich was founded in February 1879) This photo February 1929.

    TheFlag Raising

    The Flag from 1879 being raised at the semicentennial in February 2929.

    A Raised Flag for the 50th year of the founding of Greenwich

    A Raised 38 star Flag for the 50th year of the founding of Greenwich.  The flag in 1929 had 48 stars.

    A Greenwich Celebration

    A. R. Howard Photo Album

    Greenwich Semicentennial Celebration of ????

    A Historical Mystery

    The following series of three photos are from a photo album of A. R. Howard and we believe they could picture  a celebration of the founding of Greenwich.  The question is when was the picture taken, where it was taken and what was the occasion?

    Our logic is:

    When? The clues:  The dress of the people, the cars, trucks and the signs  in the photo.  Winter? Summer?

    Where:  Greenwich, north side of what is now US224. Where the Village sign is now located.

    What: Hints?  The flag in photo 3 has 38 stars. Colorado was the 38th state added in 1876.  Flags after 1912 and before 1953 had 48 stars.

    When?  A Year

    Where? Definitely Greenwich

    What was the occasion?

    What do you think????  Use the Leave a Reply  section below!

    A Greenwich Celebration

    A Greenwich Celebration

     

    A Flag Raising

    A Flag Raising

     

    A Raised Flag for what occasion?

    A Raised Flag for what occasion?

    Fourth of July Parade in Greenwich? – circa 1917? – Howard Postcard Collection

    Fourth of July Parade in Greenwich - circa 1917

    Fourth of July Parade in Greenwich? – circa 1917?

    Oldest House in Greenwich – circa 1845

    Hiram Townsend's Farmhouse in 1896. From the Picturesque Huron

    Hiram Townsend’s Farmhouse in 1896. From the Picturesque Huron

    The 1845 Hiram Townsend Farm house on Townsend Street in Greenwich. this photo was taken in late April 2015

    The 1845 Hiram Townsend Farm house on Townsend Street in Greenwich. this photo was taken in late April 2015

    The 1845 Hiram Townsend Farm house on Townsend Street in Greenwich.

    The 1845 Hiram Townsend Farm house on Townsend Street in Greenwich.

    The first settler was Henry Carpenter who came to the area in 1817. There was no one living in the area prior to Carpenter’s arrival. Henry died in 1818 from over exertion at a house raising. His child Abner was the first born in the township. E.F. Barker was the second family to arrive. His place of residence was on an 8.75 acre lot which is now (2012) owned by the village of Greenwich. It was located in the south west corner of the lagoons farm just north of the village. (p.81)

    In 1821 Hiram Townsend bought 132 acres in what is now Greenwich. The Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad was chartered in 1836 and the process of purchased right-of-ways started in the early 1840s. Early landowners, such as the Kniffins, Hiram Townsend and others fought the coming railroad with several lawsuits for a time but in the late 1840’s Hiram Townsend sold ten acres to the Big Four Railroad for a roadbed, depot, and a park. This is the area bounded by North Railroad Street, South Railroad Street, the east boundary of section 6 (about 250 feet west of Maple Street) and the east-west section line road (now U.S. 224). This cut his farm buildings off from the rest of his farm. Hiram build a lovely house (now the Church of Christ parsonage) in 1845, the oldest house in section 6 (p.82) On February 21, 1851 the first train ran from Columbus to Cleveland, through Greenwich. By 1853 the railroad was in fairly flourishing condition and there was talk of a double track. (p.20)

    Oldest House in West Greenwich

    West Greenwich Oldest House

    West Greenwich Oldest House

    Greenwich History

    The 1870 village of West Greenwich occupied the Hiram Townsend Plot on this 1845 Plot Map.

    The Hiram Townsend Farm is shown on the above 1845 Huron County plot map. A village map of 1873 is below.

    The first settler was Henry Carpenter who came to the area in 1817. There was no one living in the area prior to Carpenter’s arrival. Henry died in 1818 from over exertion at a house raising. His child Abner was the first born in the township. E.F. Barker was the second family to arrive. His place of residence was on an 8.75 acre lot which is now (2012) owned by the village of Greenwich. It was located in the south west corner of the lagoons farm just north of the village. (p.81)

    In 1821 Hiram Townsend bought 132 acres in what is now Greenwich. The Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad was chartered in 1836 and the process of purchased right-of-ways started in the early 1840s. Early landowners, such as the Kniffins, Hiram Townsend and others fought the coming railroad with several lawsuits for a time but in the late 1840’s Hiram Townsend sold ten acres to the Big Four Railroad for a roadbed, depot, and a park. This is the area bounded by North Railroad Street, South Railroad Street, the east boundary of section 6 (about 250 feet west of Maple Street) and the east-west section line road (now U.S. 224). This cut his farm buildings off from the rest of his farm. Hiram build a lovely house (now the Church of Christ parsonage) in 1845, the oldest house in section 6 (p.82) On February 21, 1851 the first train ran from Columbus to Cleveland, through Greenwich. By 1853 the railroad was in fairly flourishing condition and there was talk of a double track. (p.20)

    West Greenwich – in the 1873 Huron County Plot Book

    By 1870 houses were being built on a least two edges of his farm. Now people, eager to build near the depot, wanted his farm. Townsend died in 1871. The Greenwich Land and Building Association purchased the land in 1873 and Greenwich mushroomed. The Greenwich Land and building Association was incorporated for “the encouragement of local business interests and the development of the village.” The organization purchased the one hundred twenty acre farm and divided one-third of it into lots. The first building on one of these lots was constructed in 1874. The village grew rapidly from seventy residents in 1874 to more than five hundred in 1879. At first the new area was called Greenwich Station. Later the “Station” was dropped (p. 82).

    Today Hiram Townsend’s house which he built in 1845 still stands. It is sturdy and in good repair. Some construction details, such as floor joists which are smooth on top but still have bark on the other sides, are reminders of its age. The house today serves as the parsonage for the Church of Christ and is located at 6 Townsend Street, a street named in honor of one of Greenwich’s most interesting pioneers(p.94)

    Summarized from “History of the Greenwich Area” July 1979

     

     

     

     

    Greenwich Depot

    Greenwich Big Four Railroad Depot

    Greenwich Big Four Railroad Depot

    The Greenwich Big Four Railroad Depot was located on the west side of the railroad tracks on North Railroad Street. The foundation can still be seen from North Railroad Street. It was removed in 1959.

    Greenwich Mayors – 1891 – 2014

    GreenwichMayors2014