Greenwich Historical Society Opens Doors to Town's Documented Past

The Greenwich Historical Society, founded in 1931, preserves local history through its campus in Cos Cob, which includes the National Historic Landmark Bush-Holley House built between 1728 and 1730.

These resources matter because they document Greenwich's transition from Dutch New Netherland to British control, with formal recognition by Connecticut in 1665, and later developments such as the Cos Cob art colony.

Bush-Holley House in Cos Cob

The Bush-Holley House stands as the central feature of the Greenwich Historical Society campus in Cos Cob. It is best known for its role as a boardinghouse for the Cos Cob art colony between 1890 and 1920. The structure was purchased by the Historical Society in 1957. Visitors can examine the National Historic Landmark building that reflects both early colonial architecture and the region's artistic period. The site is worth visiting to see how one property connects multiple eras of Greenwich history.

Local Spotlight Book Talks program

The Local Spotlight Book Talks program operates from the Greenwich Historical Society campus in Cos Cob. It is best known for featuring local authors. The program offers scheduled talks that present books tied to Greenwich subjects. Residents attend these events to hear directly from writers who draw on town records and stories. The talks provide a recurring opportunity to engage with documented local history without requiring travel beyond Cos Cob.

Landmark Recognition Program sites

The Historical Society's Landmark Recognition Program has honored 283 structures and sites in Greenwich with plaques. Recent additions include the Belle Haven Club and Howe-Willson House. These plaques mark places across central Greenwich and other neighborhoods such as Chickahominy, which received its name from Union Army veterans commemorating the Battle of Chickahominy during the Civil War. The program encourages ongoing preservation by making these locations visible to residents and visitors.

Greenwich also records approximately 300 enslaved people living in the town by the time of the Revolution. The Historical Society incorporates this period into its preservation work at the Cos Cob campus. The Chickahominy neighborhood in central Greenwich supplies an additional layer of Civil War commemoration that can be observed while moving between recognized sites.

Those interested in these experiences can begin at the Greenwich Historical Society campus in Cos Cob, where the Bush-Holley House, book talks, and information on the 283 recognized landmarks are available together.