Greenwich, Massachusetts | |
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 Interactive map of Greenwich, Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:42°21′33″N72°17′47″W / 42.35917°N 72.29639°W /42.35917; -72.29639 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Hampshire |
| Incorporated | 1754 |
| Disincorporated | April 28, 1938 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern |
Greenwich (/ˈɡriːnwɪtʃ/)[1] was a town inHampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was disincorporated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1938 for the construction of theQuabbin Reservoir which was constructed to supply water to the metropolitan Boston area.
Greenwich was established in 1739 as Quabbin, incorporated as Quabbin Parish in 1754, and became the town of Greenwich (named forJohn Campbell, Duke of Greenwich) in 1754. It was located along the East and Middle branches of theSwift River. The Athol Branch of theBoston and Albany Railroad ran through the center of town, as didRoute 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 ofDunwich in his seminal story "The Dunwich Horror" was partially based on the town of Greenwich.[2] Additionally, Lovecraft's story "The Colour Out of Space" is set in this valley before it was flooded for the reservoir.[3]
Greenwich was disincorporated on April 28, 1938, as part of the creation of theQuabbin Reservoir. Upon disincorporation, portions of the town were annexed to the adjacent towns ofHardwick,New Salem,Petersham, andWare. (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 a 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.
Media related toRecords, 1734-1916 (Greenwich) at Wikimedia CommonsMunicipalities and communities ofHampshire County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
