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Greenwich Historical Commission
Our township is very fortunate to have formed our very own historical
commission. Members can be seen on the Committees page.
The Historical Commission publishes a newsletter, The Greenwich Torch
several times a year. Below are some recent issues.
NOTE: Files are in Microsoft Word format. Some Files may take a while to
download on slow (dial-up) internet connections
THE HISTORY OF GREENWICH TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY
As residents of Greenwich Township, we should be proud of our area’s role
in American History. The land that we currently live on, once belong to a
group of early Native Americans, known as the Lenni-Lenape, a subdivision of
the Algonquin Indians. In 1677, John Cook, Greenwich’s earliest settler
purchased 1,111 acres of land from this tribe. Mr. Cook constructed a home,
along with a mill on his property. It was this same mill along with other
local ones that would be responsible for the feed and flour supplied to the
Continental army while encamped in Morristown, New Jersey during our
Revolutionary War.
The earliest families of our community came from different and remote areas
of the world. They had ethnic backgrounds such as English, Scotch,
Scotch-Irish, German, Dutch and Welsh. Family names of these early settlers
were Maxwell, Stewart, Kennedy, Ramsey, McCullough, Kell, Smith, Creveling,
Bidleman, Fines, Hulshizer, Carpenter, Cline, Hances, Young, Boyer, Hagawout,
Beaver, Sharpensteins, Pursell, Hunt, Hixon, Davis, Hamlin, Carter, Green,
Barber, Bulman, Hughes and Hyndshaw.
Many notables passed though our township. David Brainerd, “The Missionary to
the American Indians” preached at the Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church.
Local legend has it that Chigachook, the hero in James Fenimore Cooper’s
novel; “The Last of the Mohicans was buried under a tree in the Old
Greenwich cemetery.
Several of our former residents fought in the Revolutionary War. One was Lt.
Thomas Stewart whom the hamlet of Stewartsville is named after. Stewart was
assigned to Valley Forge and eventually became George Washington’s
secretary. The “Father of our Country” attended the Stewart’s wedding. Upon
completion of his military responsibilities, he became one of the state’s
first civil engineers, surveying most of the farms in Warren County.
Another was General William “Scotch Willie” Maxwell while born in Tyrone,
Ireland but lived in Greenwich Township for the majority of his life. He was
promoted to Brigadier General on October 23, 1776. Maxwell led the First New
Jersey Regiment during American Revolution.
Then there was Major General John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, who preached at
The Old Straw Lutheran Church. History cites that he stepped from the pulpit
while at the Shenandoah, Virginia Church to lead the 8th Virginian Regiment
of the Continental Army. He would become a Pennsylvania Senator and would
hold numerous political positions.
Greenwich Township has also been at the center of early transportation
history, such as the Morris Canal, the old New Brunswick Pike, which is now
Route 173, an old stagecoach route and the first cement highway in the state
of New Jersey, which is located on Route 57. The cement came from Edison
Portland Cement, which operated in New Village. It was the brainchild of
Thomas Edison, who was a frequent visitor of Stewartsville and once
celebrated his birthday in the Fulmer Hotel on our town’s square. It was
also noted that Edison would also visit school children at the old school on
North Main Street.
The Greenwich Historical Society was organized in August 1984 for the
purpose of studying and preserving the heritage of the township and its
ancestors. The Society has several items of interest for sale. They are the
“Through the Years,” a pictorial history of Stewartsville and surrounding
areas., a book on Greenwich trivia, several Cats Meow items, the most
current being the Oberly Farm. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of
each month at 7:00 at the Municipal Building.
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