Greenwich () was a town in

Hampshire County, Massachusetts Hampshire County is a historical and judicial county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Following the dissolution of the county government in 1999, county affairs were managed by the Hampshire Council of Governments, which itself ceas ...

. The town was lost as a result of the formation of the

Quabbin Reservoir The Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in Massachusetts, and was built between 1930 and 1939. Along with the Wachusett Reservoir, it is the primary water supply for Boston, to the east, and 40 other cities and towns in Greate ...

in order to supply Boston's growing water needs.

History

Greenwich was established in 1739 as Quabbin, incorporated as Quabbin Parish in 1754, and became the town of Greenwich (named for John Campbell, Duke of Greenwich) in 1754. It was located along the East and Middle branches of the Swift River. The Athol Branch of the

Boston and Albany Railroad The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The line is currently used by CSX for freight. Pa ...

ran through the center of town, as did Route 21. It was well known for its lakes and ponds, which were popular vacation spots. It bordered four towns—Enfield, Prescott, Dana, and Hardwick. H. P. Lovecraft's fictional town of

Dunwich Dunwich is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB around north-east of London, south of Southwold and north of Leiston, on the North Sea coast. In the Anglo-Saxon period, Dunwich was t ...

in his seminal story "

The Dunwich Horror "The Dunwich Horror" is a horror novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in 1928, it was first published in the April 1929 issue of '' Weird Tales'' (pp. 481–508). It takes place in Dunwich, a fictional town in Massachusett ...

" was partially based on the town of Greenwich. Additionally, Lovecraft's story "

The Colour Out of Space "The Colour Out of Space" is a science fiction/horror short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in March 1927. In the tale, an unnamed narrator pieces together the story of an area known by the locals as the "blasted heath" ...

" is set in this valley before it was flooded for the reservoir.Charles P. Mitchell, ''The Complete H. P. Lovecraft Filmography'' p. 9 (2001). Greenwich was disincorporated on April 28, 1938, as part of the creation of the

. Upon disincorporation, portions of the town were annexed to the adjacent towns of Hardwick, New Salem, Petersham, and

Ware Ware may refer to: People * Ware (surname) * William of Ware (), English Franciscan theologian Places Canada * Fort Ware, British Columbia United Kingdom * Ware, Devon *Ware, Hertfordshire * Ware, Kent United States * Ware, Elmore County ...

. (Because of the redrawing of town lines, the land is no longer completely in Hampshire County; only the portion located in Ware is.) Because most of Greenwich was at lower elevation than the surrounding towns, it is now largely submerged, except for the hilltops of Curtis Hill, Mount Lizzie and Mount Pomeroy, which are now islands.

Notable residents

Mason C. Darling Mason Cook Darling (May 18, 1801March 12, 1866) was an American medical doctor, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of Wisconsin's first delegation to the United States House of Representatives after statehood (1848-1849), and was ...

(1801–1866), Massachusetts and Wisconsin physician, legislator *

Joseph Pomeroy Root Joseph Pomeroy Root (April 23, 1826 – July 20, 1885) was an American doctor, politician, and leader of the Kansas Free Staters. A descendant of an old New England family, Root was the great-grandson of Revolutionary War General Seth Pomeroy. ...

(1826–1885), Free Stater, first Lieutenant Governor of Kansas *

Randolph Barnes Marcy Randolph Barnes Marcy (April 9, 1812 – November 22, 1887) was an officer in the United States Army, chiefly noted for his frontier guidebook, the ''Prairie Traveler'' (1859), based on his own extensive experience of pioneering in the west. This p ...

(1812-1887),

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, U.S. Army, Civil War *

Amiel Weeks Whipple Amiel Weeks Whipple (October 21, 1817 – May 7, 1863)Anderson, TSHA was an American military officer and topographical engineer. He served as a brigadier general in the American Civil War, where he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Chance ...

(1816-1863), Major General, U.S. Army; mortally wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863; died on May 7

*Greenwich House, an on-campus living facility at

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges ...

in Amherst, Massachusetts, is named after the former town.

References

* Tougias, Michael. ''Quabbin: A History and Explorer's Guide''. Yarmouth Port, Mass.: On Cape Publications, 2002.

External links

*
Map showing the towns buried under Quabbin
as they looked in 1912, with original house locations and current reservoir water level {{Massachusetts Defunct towns in Massachusetts Submerged settlements in the United States Ghost towns in Massachusetts Populated places in Hampshire County, Massachusetts Populated places established in 1739 1938 disestablishments in Massachusetts 1739 establishments in Massachusetts Populated places disestablished in 1938

History

Notable residents

Related

References

External links