Greenwich Township (est. 1684)

Greenwich Township's rich history can be appreciated in numerous ways. Driving, cycling or walking our country roads reveals the magnificent landscape and wildlife that attracted and supported Lenni-Lenape Native American cultures for thousands of years. Colonial history and culture is reflected in the architecture and streetscapes of the Greenwich Historic District, entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, that stretches along Ye Greate Street from the Cohansey River to Othello (also known as Upper Greenwich or Head of Greenwich).

Signs of Greenwich's role as an 18th and 19th century Delaware Bay shipbuilding town and its importance as a fishing, oyster and sturgeon industry center abound. Patterned-brick farmhouses that are centuries old still support the South Jersey agricultural heritage that has helped define the Township for 325 years. With almost two-thirds of the Township's land currently protected through wetlands, farmland, open space or other types of preservation, Greenwich Township is both a treasure to visit and a unique place to call home.

Greenwich can claim many significant dates and accomplishments in its long history. Founded by John Fenwick, Greenwich was the first principal settlement of Cumberland County and served as one of the country's first ports-of-entry while still under British rule. "Ye Greate Street" was laid out in 1684 and its course has never been changed. While other early settlers, primarily Dutch and Swedish, were the first Europeans to explore the Delaware Bay region, it was England that determined the primary character of Greenwich and the role it would play in the creation of a new nation.

Perhaps the best-known 18th century event in the history of the Township is the Greenwich Tea Burning of 1774, one of the five major "tea incidents" in pre-Revolutionary America, the others being Charleston, Annapolis, Princeton and Boston. In the 19th century, the critical role that Greenwich played in the operation of the Underground Railroad has also been well-documented (crossing from Delaware to Greenwich was a favored route of abolitionist Harriet Tubman).

For more information, please visit the Cumberland County website and see Links and Information on this site.

Cumberland County Historical Society

Much has been written about the history of Greenwich, and both archeological and documentary resources have been preserved in a variety of museums, libraries and other sites. Greenwich is home to the Cumberland County Historical Society; the days and hours of operation for the organization's Historic Gibbon House Museum, the Reba and Warren Lummis Genealogical and Historical Research Library, the Swedish Granary, the Cumberland County Prehistorical Museum and the John Dubois Maritime Museum can be found on the Society's website.

The CCHS website also describes many of the holdings of the Library, publications for sale, upcoming Historical Society programs and events and much more.

The Greenwich Environmental Resources Inventory, a comprehensive report that includes extensive historical information and resources, was completed by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Authority and the Greenwich Township Environmental Commission in 2010. This 128-page document includes a variety of maps of the Township. It also includes a copy of a 1976 brochure, prepared by Robert Watson, that illustrates key buildings in the Greenwich Historic District.

The 2010 Greenwich ERI is available on-line on the Cumberland County website. Hard copies of the report are also available for purchase from the Greenwich Environmental Commission.