Chronology of
Historic Greenwich

17th Century

1664 - Charles II King of England gives brother James, Duke of York Greenwich land.
1664 - James, Duke of York sells land to Lord Berkley and Sir. John Carteret. 
1673 - John Fenwick purchases West New Jersey from Berkley. 
1675 - John Fenwick arrives at Elsborg near the mouth of the Salem River. 
1676 - Fenwick obtains a deed from the Indians with rights to hunt on land. 
1680 - Edward Gibbon survey for Antioch - early name for Greenwich. 
1682 - Bacon's Adventure - land purchased from Fenwick's daughter by Samuel Bacon. 
1682 - Fenwick conveys all his interest in N.J. to William Penn except Fenwick's Colony. 
1683 - John Fenwick dies. His will refers to Greenwich as called Town Neck. 
1684 - Ye Create Street laid out at Cohanzick on the Caesaria River. 
1686 - First lot at the landing sold to Mark Reeve. 
1687 - Port established at Cohanzy or Cohanzick. 
1693 - Quakers purchase land for a meeting house and cemetery at south end of Ye Greate Street. 
1693 - Jonathan Walling leased area "Mannor Neck" Bacons Neck Rd. area, took title as "Bethel" 
1695 - Assembly of West Jersey recognizes Greenwich as the name for Cohansey. 
1695 - Fairs established and held in May and October in Greenwich. 

18th Century

1700 - Francis Gibbon devised to Leonard and Nicholas Gibbon all land known as Mount Gibbon. 
1707 - Greenwich Presbyterian Church established at - Head of Greenwich. 
1710 - Fulling Mill erected on Pine Mount Creek or Mount Gibbon Run. 
1714 - Samuel Dark Store opens. The Griffin - Head of Greenwich. 
1725 - A grist mill is built on Gibbon land on the Macanippuck. 
1728 - The Gibbon brothers assume control of the property called "Mount Gibbon". 
1729 - Episcopal Church built. 
1729 - Nicholas Gibbon built "a good and convenient" house on the north side of Maxanippuck Run. 
1726 - The Town Place - Zachariah Barrow gave for free school across from Stone Schoolhouse. 
1730 - Nicholas Gibbon's house built. Home of Cumberland County Historical Society, Ye Greate Street 
1733 - William Watson operated a ferry to Fairfield from Greenwich Wharf and a tavern. 
1734 - Pirate House built.
1740 - George Whitfield preached to 3000 people at the Greenwich Presbyterian Church.
1743 - Boats first built at the First Landing near the Greenwich Piers. 
1748 - First court of the newly created Cumberland County held in Greenwich. 
1749 - Jermiah Fithian leaves land for school across from The Town Place. Stone Schoolhouse land. 
1765 - Law enacted that fairs in the town of Greenwich found inconvenient and unnecessary. 
1765 - John Laning has a chair shop next to the Episcopal Church across for Market Square. 1768 - Ferry from John Sheppard's Greenwich Wharf to Fairfield. 
1769 - Benjamin Reeve a clockmaker in Philadelphia returns to Greenwich and builds a house. 1771 - Society of Friends Meeting house built near the Greenwich Wharf. 
1773 - Richard Wood Store opens his store. 
1774 - Greenwich Tea Burning at the Market Square. 
1750 - Schoolhouse on Ambury Hill built by Benjamin Tyler. 
1759 - Richard Wood purchases the Gibbon House,stays in the family until 1934, Francis Wood sold. 
1790 - Dike built in Bacons Neck area. 
1791 - Job Stiles removed to Greenwich from Burlington Co. opens a harness shop on Bacon's Neck Rd. 
1795 - Wood Mansion Built.

19th Century

1801 - Bacon's Neck Schoolhouse built.
1805 - James Dare, weaver, lived in the Charles Briggs house foot of Greenwich St. wove first carpet in
Greenwich for Charles Fithian in the fine new mortar brick house on the curve by the school. 
1810 - Ambury Hill - African Society of Methodists Church built. Slave cemetery. 
1811 - Brown Sandstone Schoolhouse built on land of Jeremiah Fithian. 
1811 - First post office established. George Bacon Postmaster. 
1812 - Troops quartered in Brown Sandstone Schoolhouse War of 1812. 
1821 - Greenwich Library incorporated. Library built on spot occupied by The Ankorage. 
1826 - James Josiah Ewing digs a cellar to stop Freeholders from extending road from Bridgeton. 
1830 - Alpheus Brooks gives land for Hawthorne Academy later Othello School, Head of Greenwich. 
1830 - Schoolhouse built at Springtown. 
1834 - James Josiah Ewing builds "Homestead". 
1841 - Bethel AME Church built at Springtown, church moves from Ambury Hill. 
1840 - Quaker School House of Clarkson Sheppard built next to Quaker cemetery on curve. 
1840 - Bacon's Neck Schoolhouse built. 
1844 - Baptist Church dedicated. 
1852 - Lecture Room - Presbyterians built. John Dubois Maritime Museum. 
1853 - Name of Buena Vista first used for area of the Greenwich Boat Works. 
1855 - Hawthorne Academy built. Head of Greenwich. 
1857 - Hicksite Quaker Meetinghouse built. 
1871 - Vineland Railway Co. line to Bridgeton, Greenwich and Bayside (Caviar) built. 
1873 - Greenwich School built next to Prehistorical Museum, Old Stone Schoolhouse closed. 1874 - New Jersey Centennial Tea Party held in Bridgeton, trains to Greenwich all day.
1876 - Greenwich Street used before Main Street in Greenwich. 
1888 - Canhouse built by B. F. Maul, Capt. Charles Miller, Samuel and Robert Watson. 
1889 - Buena Vista Railway Co. built from Greenwich to Greenwich Piers (Buena Vista) built. 1895 - Greenwich Piers Hotel built on Buena Vista Street now Pier Road. 
1895 - Greenwich Piers Marine Railroad Co. founded by Wm. H. Parsons. 
1896 - Othello Post Office established at Head of Greenwich. 

20th Century

1901 - William Shillingsburg buys Greenwich Piers Marine Railroad Co. from Wm. H. Parsons. 
1901 - William Shillingsburg builds five homes at Buena Vista for the boatmen on Delaware Ave. 
1908 - 7000 people attend unveiling of the Tea burner's Monument. 
1909 - Greenwich School built. Morris Goodwin School. 
1922 - Storehouse (Grainary) and Two Garages burned down at Greenwich Piers. 
1930 - Greenwich Piers Hotel closes. 
1934 - Market Lane extended to the Greenwich Piers. 
1934 - Hurricane floods Main Street. 
1948 - Cumberland County Historical Society leases Wood Mansion for its headquarters. 
1948 - Main Street changed to ye Greate Street. 
1948 - WWII Air Raid Post Dedicated on Stathems Neck Road near Greenhead Park. 
1956 - Clem Sutton establishes fish business at Ragged Island. 
1957 - Red Onion Club starts at Ragged Island. 
1958 - 50th Anniversary of the Teaburners Monument. 
1959 - Joe and Penny Hancock establish Hancock's Harbor. 
1960 - Greenhead Park opens on Bacon's Neck Road. 
1965 - Watson Can House closes. 
1967 - Atlantic City Electric purchases farms in Bayside Tract for Nuclear Power Plant. 
1967 - Farmers & Merchants Bank in Bridgeton builds a branch in Greenwich. 
1969 - Cumberland County Historical Society purchases the Gibbon House for its headquarters. 
1970 - Gibbon House dedicated as the headquarters for the CCHS, April 4. 
1972 - Pirate House purchased from Farmers & Merchants Bank for CCHS Library.
1974 - 200th Anniversary of the Tea Burning.
1976 - New addition to the Morris Goodwin School built. 
1991 - Bait Box Restaurant burns at Hancock's Harbor. 
1992 - John DuBois Maritime Museum opened in Presbyterian Meeting Room building. 
1992 - Warren Lummis Library opens in the Farmers and Merchants Bank building 
1996 - PSE&G sells houses in the Bayside Tract to private individuals. 
1997 - Ambury Hill Cemetery re-dedicated. 
1998 - 250th Anniversary of the Cumberland County and Salem County split. 
1999 - 225th Anniversary of the Tea Burning. 
1999 - 30th Anniversary of the purchase of the Gibbon House by CCH

Compiled by Warren Adams - Lummis Library