USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Greenwich > Greenwich old & new; a history > Part 7
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The news of the assassination of Lincoln was received with great sorrow. It was decided to drape the Second Congregational Church in black and the Rev. William Murray, who had suc- ceeded Dr. Linsley, agreed to preach a memorial sermon. He deserves special mention in Greenwich annals because of his marvelously prophetic sermon on this occasion. It is astonishing that this twenty four-year-old contemporary of Abraham Lin- coln should see with so clear a vision the greatness that was his -a greatness that was not universally recognized until many years had gone into his weighing and assessing. Said he:
"His name will not be forgotten. The living of today will tell it to the unborn and they, in turn, will repeat it to the remotest age. Amid the doings of the great of every clime will his deeds be recorded. Among the teachings of the wise will his sayings be written ... We cannot measure him today. Years must pass before his influence on this age can be estimated. It needs the
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contrast of history to reveal his greatness. In the native vigor of his intellect, in the sincerity of his purpose, in the originality of his vews, in the simplicity of his faith, and in his sympathy for the oppressed, what potentate of his time will bear a com- parison with this backwoodsman of America?"
BOSS TWEED
NO HISTORY of Greenwich would be complete without some reference to William Marcy Tweed, who first became linked with Greenwich in the summer of 1860. While he was not a citizen to be proud of, there is no denying that he did much for Greenwich and he seems to have reserved his dishonest prac- tices for the city of New York.
Three members of the Big Six Volunteer Fire Company of the Bowery sailed up the Sound one summer's day, and, not caring to attempt the return trip in the face of a strong head wind, sought protection under the lee of Round Island. They spent the night on the shore and were much impressed with its charm as a camping ground. On their return to the city they communicated their enthusiasm to Tweed who decided to see for himself. He made the trip and was so taken with the desir- ability of the island that he obtained permission from Oliver Mead to camp on it. This he and his friends did off and on all summer, devoting their energies to bathing, fishing, sailing and visiting a saloon across the harbor at Rocky Neck. The next summer saw the founding of the Americus Club and the erec- tion of a club house on the point where Commodore E. C. Ben- edict later built his beautiful mansion.
While Tweed was still a summer visitor, he was instrumental in bringing a telegraph office to the town. Although he and his friends came here to escape from politics, they were naturally anxious to hear the war news while it was still fresh. He had fast horses but he was not satisfied with sending to Port Chester to transmit and receive his many messages. Consequently
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through his influence an office was opened in 1861. The inhabi- tants were much impressed by this wonderful innovation and, according to Judge Frederick A. Hubbard, two youthful mem- bers of the community stood watching the wires for two hours, waiting to see the first message go through. The messages were written out by hand and the Judge also tells of an elderly lady who, on receiving a message, remarked that her daughter's handwriting certainly had improved. There was no regular de- livery, and hack drivers charged 15 cents for delivering a tele- gram in the village with correspondingly higher rates outside.
In 1865 Tweed purchased eighty acres, now a part of the Milbank estate on East Putnam Avenue, for $18,000. This was the property for which Philander Button had paid $5,400 in 1848. The extensive remodeling of the house and building of the barn attracted much attention, and a reporter came out from New York to see it and write about it.
Tweed always had a great affection for Greenwich and firmly believed in its future as a residential town. He predicted that within twenty five years Field Point would be covered with the residences of New York business men. Indian Harbor was his especial pride and it was there that he built the dock to accommodate the John Romer. He was strongly advised against this steamboat venture but paid no heed, being determined to provide a daily service to New York for the town. In 1866 the Greenwich and Rye Steamboat Company was incorporated and the beautiful John Romer purchased. Tweed, with the members of the Americus Club, held the controlling stock with the re- mainder scattered through Greenwich and Port Chester.
In an effort to make the boat popular, a grand excursion to New Haven was announced for the Fourth of July, 1867. The Fourth was a beautiful day and the boat was crowded. Lunch counters and the bar were popular and the party was a great success until on the return trip the sky became overcast and the wind began to blow. It was a dispirited and bedraggled party
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which disembarked at Port Chester, it being unsafe to enter the harbor at Greenwich. Nevertheless the Romer was popular that summer and made a small profit. However, it did not continue to pay and the boat was sold.
By 1870 the Americus Club had outgrown its quarters and built a new three story building with a mansard roof and a tower. It was painted white and until the end of the century was a landmark for sailors. The new club house was fitted with expensive furniture bearing the tiger's head wherever possible. Enjoyment was of a short duration. The year 1873 brought ex- posure of Tweed and his arrest and the Americus Club passed out of existence.
There is one more incident in the life of Tweed in Green. which which should be related. After his escape from the Lud- low Street jail, his whereabouts until he was captured in Vigo, Spain, were not generally known. Immediately following the escape came the announcement of a $50,000 reward. According to Judge Hubbard, the station agent in Cos Cob had just finished reading of the reward when he noticed that the 9:15 train was stopping about a thousand feet down the track. This was not the first time this had occurred and the agent had threatened to report the irregularity. Very much annoyed he ran down the track and arrived at the baggage car just in time to see the door open. At that moment someone smashed his lantern but not before he had glimpsed the fugitive Tweed. A carriage was waiting and it drove off into the dark. A favorite niece of Tweed's lived northwest of the station and there he had his last meal in Greenwich. He then drove to Tarrytown and boarded a tug which carried him down the Hudson to the outer harbor where a freight boat was waiting to take him to Cuba.
The young agent, who was not rich, knew where Tweed was all that evening and could easily have collected the reward.
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When the Judge asked him why he did not do so he replied that he "just couldn't."
A BUDDING SUBURB
THE WAR had left the town heavily in debt and its few indus- tries suffered a post war depression. The mowing machine fac- tory in Riverside succumbed to the Deering competition and the passing of hoop skirts hastened the decline of the Mianus wire mill, which had taken the place of the rolling mill, started in 1832. Agriculture was on the decline and the labor provided by the building of the stone wall around "Linwood," as Tweed called his property, was very welcome.
In 1865 Jeremiah Atwater, a real estate operator with a New York office, came here to live. He at once perceived the oppor- tunities and became active in making summer rentals. Few real summer cottages were available but permanent residents soon discovered the profits to be made by renting their homes for the summer.
Atwater was a little early. As yet there was no land avail- able for development in the borough, so he removed the scene of his operations to the east side of the Mianus River and bought land at what was considered very large prices. He wanted to name this section "Riverside" but the petition for a postoffice was refused because the name had recently been given to Oxford, Conn. On investigation it proved that there was no real reason for Oxford making such a change and it was per- suaded to relinquish its new name. The petition was then ac- cepted and Riverside came into being.
The hard times of 1873 were a great drawback but Atwater held on. Later he had every reason to be thankful. In 1870, through the efforts of several enterprising men, a railroad sta- tion was built in Riverside and the dangerous practice of leav. ing the train as it stopped for the drawbridge was abandoned.
Old Greenwich also felt the need of a station and petitioned
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the company to establish one. There were two objections, first the railroad did not feel that the added business would justify the expense and secondly the name. It did not wish to have two stations so close together with such similar names.
A group of men gathered at William B. Lockwood's home to discuss the situation. They agreed to furnish a station, maintain it and pay the agent. The land for the station was given on the understanding that if the trains failed to run for a period of three months it would revert to the donor. Finding a new name was not easy for no one was enthusiastic about relinquishing the name of over 200 years standing. They finally agreed on Sound Beach and the oldest part of Greenwich was known by that name from that time until 1932 when, through the efforts of the Garden Club, its rightful name was restored.
Cos Cob also obtained a station and was at one time in dan- ger of losing its distinctive name. For a short period the post office was called Bayport but the name never proved popular and was shortly dropped.
The residents of Greenwich were not for a long time to be affected seriously by the changes which crept in almost imper- ceptibly. The boys still swam in Horseneck Creek and trapped in Milbrook, from which the animals had not yet fled to the fastness of Khakum Wood. Fishing and crabbing were popular sports. In the winter Ten Acres meadow was flooded and there was skating for weeks at a time. Later this declined somewhat in favor of roller skating in Ray's Hall, where there was also instruction given in riding the high bicycle. Winter evenings were made gay with moonlight sleigh rides and surprise parties. On New Year's Day calls were made in order and girls vied to see who could collect the most New Year's cards. During this period many a horse found its way home late of an evening without assistance from the driver.
Housewives bought many necessities and an occasional lux- ury from the itinerant peddlers and farm produce could still be
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traded for staples at the grocery store. Clothes were for the most part made at home but there was an occasional shopping trip to the city. Newman and Hews at the landing did most of the men's tailoring.
However, little by little, life began to center around the vil- lage and during the closing years of the century the barometer of local progress was Greenwich Avenue. The outlying farms no longer furnished the dominant economic and social force of the community.
In 1870 there was a land boom on Greenwich Avenue, the first real sign of activity since the '50's. New buildings were erected on either side and in 1875 the town purchased from Aaron Ferris a building for the Town Hall. The old one, which had been outgrown, burned in 1874.
The stores of that day were distinguished by their piazzas, reached by two or three steps and by the absence of plate glass windows. Heavy shutters were fastened at night as protection against marauders and the business section was patroled at night by a single watchman who was paid by the merchants. Thus far the borough had assumed little civic responsibility. Probably because of the increase in building, the fire company was formed in 1879 but the town waited until 1896 for a regular police force. The year 1870 saw the founding of the Greenwich Sav- ings Bank, followed sixteen years later by the Greenwich Trust Company. The present library was organized in 1874, falling heir to the volumes which had belonged to the original library association, and which had been held during the intervening years by the Second Congregational Church.
The borough was filling up both with residences and business buildings and the need of a public water supply was keenly felt. Stores and offices had an allowance of one bucket of water a day. The Greenwich Water Company was organized and in 1880 began supplying the town.
The telephone, which had created great excitement at the
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Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, first appeared here in 1880. The first exchange was in the Hubbard building and the Lenox House was the first subscriber. Service was maintained from 8 A. M. to 8 P. M., with Sundays and holidays excepted.
Although E. H. Johnson, president of the Edison Electric Light Company of New York, and a resident of Greenwich, made the town an offer to light it by electricity in 1888, his offer was refused because of the cost and it was two years be- fore any action was taken. The Johnson home was equipped with electricity and at night was brilliantly lighted both within and without. He even went so far in his enthusiasm as to have a storage battery installed under the seat of his carriage and have an incandescent bulb suspended at the end of a long pole. Greenwich was treated to the spectacle of a lighted bulb bob- bing along just in front of the horse's head. Most people were inclined to think electricity a passing fad. Some even said so in town meeting. Until 1890 Greenwich Avenue was lighted by a dozen kerosene lamps between Putnam Avenue and the south- ern boundary of the borough.
In 1881 the borough charter was revised and among its new powers was the right "to lay out new highways, streets and pub- lic walks." Shortly Lewis Street was cut through a cornfield and Mason Street was opened. The residents began to be conscious of the looks of the borough and an Improvement Association was formed whose aims were "to remove unsightly features and to set out trees."
November 15, 1877, saw the initial issue of the Greenwich Observer, the first real Greenwich newspaper. Previously there had been half-hearted attempts but all were short lived. The new paper contained very little local news. The front page was devoted to feature articles from other papers, fashion notes and a sentimental story. The second page contained national news and editorials, the third was devoted to town happenings and the fourth to foreign news. The whole was interspersed with
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ads and bits of miscellaneous information which was occasion- ally repeated in subsequent issues when the editor ran out of material. The Observer merged with the Graphic in 1883 after changing hands several times.
The stage was now set for the rapid development of the town and in an article on Greenwich in a New York newspaper in 1879, the following prognostication was made:
"The future is promising. Its entire freedom from unhealthy influences of any kind, its beautiful situation, its large territory available for building with finest views, and its proximity to New York, must combine to greatly develop it in a few years. The rate of commutation on the N. Y., N. H. R. R. has been greatly reduced and is now so reasonable as to afford a fresh induce- ment to all who care for a home in the country."
John Voorhes had purchased the Mansion House in 1872 and the name was changed to the Lenox House after a remodeling which gave it the fashionable mansard roof. All that remained of the old inn was the front room with its beautiful white pine panelling and immense fireplace. The manager, who came from New York, used for an office the famous room, which had for over a quarter of a century seen the birth of almost every im- portant movement in the town. In 1873 the Lenox House opened as a summer hotel and soon its Saturday night "hops" became famous and visitors came from great distances to attend them.
The Americus Club building was reopened as the Morton House, also a summer hotel. This was later to become the In- dian Harbor Hotel. It did a rushing business, if one can judge from the bar receipts which were said to average $2,000 from Saturday to Monday.
The Silleck House was still running and in the middle of the '70s the Kent House got its start as the Kent Cottage. An im- posing number of present day residents came here first as guests of the Kent House who, being charmed with the place, purchased
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THE ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH.
THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AND JUNE BINNEY MEMORIAL PARISH HOUSE, OLD GREENWICH.
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THE PERROT MEMORIAL LIBRARY, OLD GREENWICH.
THE BEACH CLUB.
好特洋 餐物報 紙粘糖 業業區 歡花福
THE INDIAN HARBOR YACHT CLUB.
THE GREENWICH HIGH SCHOOL, FIELD POINT ROAD, BUILT 1926.
MASONIC TEMPLE, HAVEMEYER PLACE, GREENWICH.
THE WORLD WAR MEMORIAL, IN FRONT OF THE GREEN- WICH POST OFFICE, ERECTED IN 1928.
THE POND AND ISLAND IN BINNEY PARK, OLD GREENWICH.
THE Y. W. C. A., MILBANK AVENUE, GREENWICH.
APUOE
THE ELKS CLUB HOUSE, EAST PUTNAM AVENUE.
AN ATTRACTIVE SCENE IN BRUCE PARK.
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THE COS COB FIRE HOUSE.
THE COS COB SCHOOL.
THE GREENWICH COUNTRY CLUB.
C
INNIS ARDEN GOLF CLUB, OLD GREENWICH.
THE RIVERSIDE SCHOOL.
HAVEMEYER SCHOOL, GREENWICH AVENUE, DONATED TO THE TOWN IN 1892 BY THE LATE HENRY O. HAVEMEYER.
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THE TOWN HALL, GREENWICH, PRESENTED TO THE TOWN BY ROBERT M. AND SARAH E. BRUCE.
THE RIVERSIDE YACHT CLUB.
THE SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, GREENWICH.
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THE FIRST METHODIST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
ON EAST PUTNAM AVENUE, BUILT IN 1869.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, GREENWICH.
THE GREENWICH LIBRARY.
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STANWICH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, BUILT IN 1846 AS METHODIST CHURCH. REMODELED BY PRESENT CONGREGATION IN 1923 AFTER FIRE DESTROYED THEIR OWN CHURCH.
ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, RIVERSIDE.
MILBROOK COUNTRY CLUB, GREENWICH.
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AN ATTRACTIVE VIEW ALONG RIVERSIDE AVENUE, RIVERSIDE.
DIAMOND HILL M. E. CHURCH, COS COB.
$
OLD GREENWICH SCHOOL.
THE GREENWICH HOSPITAL.
ST. CATHERINE S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, RIVERSIDE.
THE FIELD CLUB, GREENWICH.
THE INTERSECTION OF PUTNAM AVENUE AND GREENWICH AVENUE, LOOKING DOWN GREENWICH AVENUE.
H
ST. SAVIOUR'S CHURCH, OLD GREENWICH.
STREET SCENE AT THE HUB IN COS COB.
THE ROUND HILL CLUB, GREENWICH.
GRISTEDE BROS.
LOOKING NORTH ON GREENWICH AVENUE FROM A POINT NEAR THE HAVEMEYER SCHOOL.
ST. MARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
THE MASON STREET SCHOOL.
THE Y. M. C. A. EAST PUTNAM AVENUE, GREENWICH.
ISLAND BEACH, LOOKING TOWARD THE PIER.
LOOKING WEST ON EAST PUTNAM AVENUE FROM A POINT IN FRONT OF THE Y. M. C. A.
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THE MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL, PARSONAGE ROAD.
BUSINESS SECTION OF OLD GREENWICH, WITH BANK IN CENTER AND POST OFFICE ON LEFT.
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land to live here permanently. The seasons of 1874 and 1875 were very gay and prosperous ones and the churches could count on greatly increased collections from the summer visitors.
Croquet was in vogue and yachting was becoming the fashion. The young people danced to the "Blue Danube Waltz" and there was a new theatrical performance or concert practically every week at Ray's Hall. Horse racing had been popular since before the war when the farmers raced their horses on North Street. After the war the competitions were often held in sleighs over a course running from Greenwich Avenue to the brow of Put's Hill. In the '80s Oliver D. Mead permitted the use of a portion of Field Point as a trotting course. Under the auspices of the Greenwich Driving Association enthusiasts came from miles around to enter their horses, and 1889 saw the organiz- ation of the Greenwich Riding Club.
Yachting was given impetus by the founding of the yacht clubs although there had been for years regattas organized by the oystermen. One of the old oyster boats that participated in these early days, the Clara D. Palmer, is still in service. Tweed had encouraged these regattas and his yacht had often been used as a committee boat. The Greenwich Yacht Club came into be- ing in 1887. Meetings were held in the loft over the bar in the steamboat building. Some time around 1889 the club passed out of existence and although the Graphic records regattas of both the Greenwich Yacht Club and the Indian Harbor Yacht Club in the summer of 1889, many members of the original organi- zation appeared on the list of charter members of the Indian Harbor Yacht Club. The first of their several moves was to the lower floor of the Indian Harbor Hotel bar room; the next to the house on Tweed's Island. The members soon wearied of rowing across to the island, especially on rainy days, and in 1890 purchased the reserved acre of the old Rocky Neck Land Company and moved into a club house on the site of the pres- ent one.
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The Riverside Yacht Club was organized in 1888 and held its first regatta in the following year. The club immediately be- came active in obtaining the proper marking buoys for the har- bor at the mouth of the Mianus River.
Belle Haven, which had consisted largely of one farm, was established in 1883 as the first residential park in the town. Its possibilities as a delightful place of residence were immediately realized by prosperous New York business men who had fallen in love with the town through summer visits. Soon fine homes began to appear and the transformation of Greenwich from a farming community to a residential community of beauty and charm was speeded up. Within another decade Rock Ridge was opened up and more homes appeared. Roads into the spacious back country were steadily improved and the circle of magnifi- cent homes steadily widened until, before there was full realiz- ation of the fact, Greenwich had taken its place as one of the country's most attractive suburbs.
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
DURING the last decade of the nineteenth century many pub- lic improvements were discussed in town and borough meetings. Although great interest was taken in the various projects, most of them did not materialize until the early years of the new century.
The automobile "craze" had hit Greenwich by 1899 and in 1901 the town found it necessary to set a speed limit of twelve miles per hour in the borough, while Belle Haven restricted the speed of all vehicles, excepting bicycles, to six miles. Some ga- rages began to supplant the blacksmith shop and before many years had passed, the hitching posts on Greenwich Avenue had fallen into disuse.
The pace began to quicken and Greenwich Avenue started on the final lap of its development into a modern business street. The grade was slightly modified, several old trees were removed
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and after years of delay, trolley tracks were laid. Brick side- walks soon followed.
On September 14, 1901, the first trolley car came up Green- wich Avenue. Aboard it were many officials and the occasion was attended by considerable ceremony. All the rest of that first day, the car ran up and down the short length of track giving free rides to all who cared to try out the town's latest means of transportation.
The gloomy predictions of those who thought the trolley line would hinder residential development were not realized and the line was in operation until 1927, when the trolley cars were re- placed by busses. As business increased the demand for removal of the tracks and widening of the street grew more insistent and this desirable accomplishment was finally achieved in 1931.
The Hospital, a new Town Hall and a High School appeared in rapid succession to meet the demands of the steady growth.
These years saw the beginning of the real development of both Old Greenwich and Cos Cob, although most of the commercial buildings are of a fairly recent date.
It became apparent that the schools needed attention. District after district had been added until by 1910 there were twenty separate districts. A reorganization then took place, a central school committee was elected, a superintendent of schools en- gaged, and that year saw the beginning of the present school system. Gradually the district schools were abolished and their pupils transported to the larger schools in the centers of popu- lation. As these centers grew the school facilities were steadily expanded.
In 1917 the men of Greenwich again answered the country's call to war and left for distant points. Among the names that fill the town's roll of honor are many new ones but in numerous cases the names found on the rolls of the Revolution and the Civil War are duplicated.
The boom years from 1920 to 1930 saw phenomenal growth,
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the population increasing fifty per cent during this period. The shore had long been popular and now attention was turned to the back country. Land which, due to the decline in farming, had depreciated in value, came to the front once more as being ideal for estates. After centuries of cultivation many fields are reverting to wood land and the country gentleman no longer wrests his living from the soil.
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