A Short History of Greenwood

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 Greenwood includes the unincorporated hamlet of Greenwood and the former hamlets of Rough and Ready and West Greenwood which are nearly unrecognizable as population centers today.

Greenwood in its Heyday! Booming Downtown Business District

Alexander H. Stephens came up Bennetts Creek from Canisteo in the spring of 1821 and this first settler is credited with naming Greenwood. The first birth was that of Charles C. Stephens; the first marriage was that of Hiram Putnam and Lucinda Stephens; and the first death was that of Ezra Cobey.

Many of the early families of Greenwood had existing ties of kinship stretching back to colonial New England or New Netherland.  Others immigrated from Ireland, especially the County Antrim in what is now Northern Ireland. In the 1850 US Census, the total population was 1,186. Select residents’ birthplaces were recorded as New York (897), Ireland (134), New Jersey (49), Vermont (35), Connecticut (26), Pennsylvania (13) Massachusetts (12), New Hampshire (12), Maine (1), Rhode Island (1).

The population grew from 1,186 in 1850 to its peak in 1875 with 1,642 residents. The population dropped below 1,000 in 1920, to 941. Depopulation has continued and, as of 2010, there were 801 residents enumerated in Greenwood. The increase and decrease in the population has followed nationwide trends in transportation and urbanization.

A natural salt spring, previously favored by Native Americans, helped start Greenwood’s local economy. Levi Davis opened a tavern in 1825 that evolved into the three-story Greenwood Hotel; he “kept a small stock of goods, and dispensed good whiskey at twenty cents per gallon.” By 1879, the hamlet also had nine stores plus “specialty” shops for harnesses, cabinets, wagons, shoes, and blacksmithing. There was also a large steam saw-mill, a flouring mill, a “stage house.” Much of the business district—including the Greenwood Hotel—was destroyed by fires in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

One aspect of Greenwood’s history that is not addressed in various histories of Steuben County is that in 1882, the Governor issued a proclamation that Greenwood was “in a state of insurrection.” The people had used “threats and force” to prevent the sheriff from collecting an interest tax on municipal debt. New York collected money to build a railroad and it never came to be and the towns borrowed money to pay for it. The state still wanted the money even after it failed and the town’s residents did not agree. So the residents stood up and took a stand against the auctioning off of property and livestock of our neighbors. Find out more at https://kmreynolds2.wixsite.com/greenwood/post/rails-rebellion-and-broken-promises-the-insurrection-of-greenwood

Later, from 1896 to 1936 Greenwood was a station on the New York & Pennsylvania Railway (and its predecessors) between its termination points in Canisteo and Ceres, New York. Following severe floods in July 1935, the NY&P (pronounced “nip”) was partially out of service and its abandonment in June 1936 was readily approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission. The commission was already promoting the use of highways over railways and the decision accelerated economic decline in Greenwood.

Initially, the demise of the NY&P railroad was offset by the establishment of “old” New York State Route 17 through the town. In addition to the business district that every small village or hamlet once had, there were gas stations, restaurants, and motels to serve travelers. Eventually, New York State built a “new” four-lane Route 17, through the northern part of Steuben County, which evolved into the Southern Tier Expressway and Interstate 86. The old route through the southern part of the county was renumbered as Route 417. If you want to understand the impact to Greenwood, watch the Disney movie Cars. Sadly, it is no longer possible to buy a gallon of whiskey, gas or milk in Greenwood. However, the replacement of railroad freight with interstate trucking has also created the town’s largest employer—Southern Tier Express. On the downtown corner that once bustled with commerce, now sits a beautiful memorial park to honor the men and women of Greenwood who have served our town and country as veterans, firemen and other volunteers.

By the early 20th century, agriculture had established itself as the primary economic activity in Greenwood. Farming has since declined significantly, as in many parts of rural America. During the peak of dairy farming activity, the hills were covered with fields and pastures and few trees. As the cows went away, the trees returned. State Forests within the town include Greenwood, Rock Creek, and Turkey Ridge. Today, it is hard to imagine that the local deer population was once extinct, due to over-hunting. It has been rebuilding for decades and, in 2016, the “deer take” for Greenwood was 163 adults bucks and 425 deer in total.

Across America, motor vehicles and better roads enabled schools to be centralized into ever-larger districts. The former Greenwood Central School sits atop the “Triple Terraces” (from which the name of the school’s yearbook was derived), where the first graduates emerged in 1937. When the Greenwood Central School District was annexed by the Canisteo Central School District, the well-maintained facility was valued at approximately $10M. The building continued to serve as the Middle School for the newly combined district until 2012, when the Canisteo-Greenwood Central School Board of Education voted to close it, effective for the 2012-2013 academic year. Currently, the school is used by the students of Jasper and Troupsburg. Their school was made uninhabitable due to flood waters a few years ago. Once their new school is built, the fate of GCS will be back as a focus for the school district.

With the Greenwood students attending in Canisteo, the town’s social life continues to revolve around church and civic organizations. Churches of the past included those for Christian, Catholic, Presbyterian, Universalist and Wesleyan Methodist congregations. Current churches include Bennetts Creek Bible Church, United Methodist Church, Community of Christ Church, and the Church of the Open Door. The Greenwood Volunteer Fire Company was organized in 1944. Through the generosity of volunteers, the youth of Greenwood also enjoy Little League and Boy Scouts.

Since 1821, Greenwood’s population has waxed and waned; businesses have boomed and busted. We who have chosen to remain in Greenwood generally have deep ties to family, friends and the beautiful scenery that surrounds us. Like the generations who have come before us, we are proud to call Greenwood our home.

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