A History of Greenwood by Those Who Lived It

In the 1870s, dreams of iron rails swept through western New York. The Rochester, Hornellsville, and Pine Creek Railroad—grandly abbreviated RH&PC—was supposed to connect Hornellsville to the Pennsylvania border, promising prosperity for the small towns along its path. Greenwood, Hornellsville, and West Union all pitched in, borrowing thousands of dollars to finance the venture. Greenwood alone raised $30,000—nearly $800,000 in today’s money—hoping to see trains full of passe

The first permanent white settlements in what is now in Steuben County were made along the Canisteo River about 1788, well before the county was formed from Ontario in 1796. Settlement began in what would become the Town of Greenwood in 1821; the town was formed from Canisteo and Troupsburg on January 24th 1827. The Town of West Union was not set off from Greenwood until twenty years later in 1847 and Greenwood regained some territory from Jasper in 1848. The Town of Greenwoo

Kathleen Lounsberry Murray was special. I don’t take that term lightly. Just ask anyone. She was a positive light to all she knew. Sadly, we only got to keep her here on earth for 45 years. Not long enough. However, we keep her alive in our hearts and through our memories. When I picture my mother, it is in glimpses throughout time and strangely or maybe not so strangely, she is standing at a sink washing dishes. I guess coming from a family with five children, marrying into

Okay, you got me, it really isn't Grace, it is the essence of Grace. In 2026, this blog will bring back those funny articles about what...

Can you guess who this one is about? Come on...give it a try. You are right, Lou (Lewis Ross) Cornell! I don't remember him personally although I was in close proximity. You see, my dad, worked for Lou at times, was friends with Clair, his son, and my mother's sister Evelyn Lounsberry married Clair. We grew up calling Janette Streeter Cornell, Grandma Cornell. I don't remember ever calling Lou, Grandpa. I am going to start with content that came directly from a handwritten

On the corner of Andover and Main, sits the Greenwood Community Memorial to honor their Veterans and Firemen. Check out the FB page at...

I am definitely more about the cake or cookie than the icing. Less is more for me. But, my frosting of choice is buttercream. While working with Mike Holt, Town Historian, on a new project...a Greenwood Recipe Book, as a start, I have been going through my mother's recipe box, unearthing all those yummy recipes shared with her from others in Greenwood. What I noticed was she has a lot of buttercream recipes. But, the one card that looks the most "loved" was Mary Mullins. I kn

If you are old enough to have frequented the Murray Atlantic Station's luncheonette or heard stories, you may remember a deer head mount on the wall there. No, it was not a trophy from any of the Murray boys or even the girls. It was not a leftover from JD or Jesse Armstrong either. There is a story behind this "treasure". John Murray here. The mount belonged to me...however, I did not earn the trophy. I was not the hunter who "bagged that buck". And, to be honest, I don't ev

Russian Lullaby— Do the Russian leaders really want peace or to lull us into a sense of false security? We Americans want to believe that...

How did I get here? A blogger, really? And, why Greenwood? It all began on a porch. My grandparents, now Aunt Sally’s porch. Well, maybe...

Long time no see! The pandemic of 2020 and a number of other projects have wrecked havoc on our getting together to chat about Greenwood...

Sarajean and Suzanne. You may call them Sally and Susie or Sue. But, just remember it is Sarajean, no h, no capital j, just one word. Suzanne here. Yes, my sister is very specific about the spelling of her name. Sally was born on July 31, 1937 to Bill and Irene Lippert who lived on Main Street in Greenwood in a Sears Kit House. I was born two years later on July 20, 1939. Sarajean here. Before we get started. To clarify, I was the more studious of the two. Susie, was the fun

Do you remember the children's storybook, How Joe the Bear and Sam the Mouse Got Together ? It was my sister Joan's (John and Kathleen Murray's number 3) favorite book for awhile as a child. Bill Lippert here. I don't know anything about Joe and Sam; but, I do know a bit about how Irene and I got together. Well, I guess I will start from how I ended up in Greenwood. You see, my father passed away and left my mother with four children. My mother, Anna Margarita, or Margaret as

First, let me share what Sears and Palmer had to say about kits and these rusticated or rock faced blocks being used as building...

When asked what it was like to grow up in Greenwood, one of the first things Linda Murphy Logue shared was that if she won the lottery, she would use the money to do something for Greenwood. This has been a reoccurring theme as I talk with family members who grew up in Greenwood. Words like "idyllic", "happy" and "wonderful" just keep coming back into conversation with those that spent their time in this little village called Greenwood. Now it is the Murphy 7's turn to fill u

Jim Murphy (7/4/1922 - 9/9/2001) here. I did not grow up in Greenwood. I was working for the Gas Company and ended up in Greenwood. While there, I took a shine to a cute young girl by the name of Jackie (8/10/1931 - 6/9/2005). She was just a senior in high school. It was kismet. Now, people of my generation were not so forthcoming about our personal lives. Jackie and I never shared much about our courtship with our kids. Linda (Murphy) Logue here. Murphy #2. Yeah Dad, when we

...As remembered by their grandchildren, the Murphys and maybe a few others This is Jackie, the daughter of Margie and Harold Sampson. My father passed away when I was 11 years old. I was lucky, my mother found Alton York, whom I called Dad. We lived in the third house past the school on your way to Christian Hallow. Dad and Mom owned the store right there at the bottom of Andover Hill in the 40s and 50s. John Murray here. When I was younger, the older boys hung out there on

The Warriners started farming in Greenwood around the time of the Civil War. While this picture is not of the Warriners, it depicts how farming was done in the mid-1800s. Lots of back-breaking work. Farming and country life in general changed tremendously from the 1860s when the Warriners came to Greenwood and the present. At first it was pretty much as the Amish live today, only more primitive. At the time I was born (1943) there was no electricity, no indoor plumbing, no ru

There were a lot of Warriners in and around Greenwood. At times, I bet you struggled to figure out who belonged to whom. Well, I am Wayne Francis (1919-2009), son of Marshall and Iowa, grandson of Frank and Susan and great grandson of the third Nathan, Nathan Allen, who went by Allen, and Mary. Making me the tenth generation of Warriners in America and the fourth to live on the farm there on the Greenwood - Jasper line. I think you heard about Bess and Gyp in Dad's story. Th

This here is me with my dog Lindy. And, to celebrate her, here is a poem written by my father Frank: True Friendship Some men will wish you hail, Yet wish you with the devil. But, when a good dog wags his tail, You know he's on the level. A bit about my parents. My name is Marshall Francis Warriner (1889-1974), son of Francis Lazelle (Frank) Warriner (1866-1945) and Susan E Barnard. Mom's family lived next door to Dad at the top of the hill. I had a sister Vinnie Marie born