Greenwich (which was pronounced Green-witch, not Gren-ich) was a former town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. It 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, and the Athol Branch of the Boston and Albany Railroad ran through the center of town, as did Route 21. Ironically, it was well known for its lakes and ponds, which were popular vacation spots. It was disincorporated on April 28, 1938 as part of the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir. Upon disincorporation, portions of the town were annexed to the adjacent towns of Hardwick, New Salem, Petersham, and Ware. (Because of the redrawing of town lines, the land is no longer completely in Hampshire County; in fact, only the portion located in Ware is.) It is now largely below water, except for the hilltops of Curtis Hill, Mount Liz and Mount Pomeroy, which are now islands.
Quabbin towns
References
- Source: Tougias, Michael. Quabbin: A History And Explorer's Guide. Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts: On Cape Publications, 2002.
External links
- http://menotomymaps.com/quab_1.html. Map showing the towns buried under Quabbin as they looked in 1912 with original house locations and current reservoir water level.
