Our History
Since we first gathered in 1740, Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church has been a visible marker of community and welcome.
Historical Old Greenwich
The history of Old Greenwich is long and rich. The earliest record of our congregation is a call in 1739 to the Presbytery of New Brunswick for "supplies of preaching in Mr. Barber's neighborhood near Musconnekunk." That was us! At first we were interchangeably referred to as Mr. Barber’s neighborhood or Mr. Green's Farm; then Green’s Ridge, Greenridge, Greenage, until the name finally became Greenwich.
One of the first supply ministers sent to preach in that log church was the frontier missionary Rev. David Brainerd. In 1775, the site of the log church and the early cemetery were abandoned in favor of the present location and the first stone church was erected. In 1835 the original stone building was replaced by our present, larger church.
Memorial Hall
In 1951, the cornerstone was laid for Memorial Hall. The great hall has a large stage at the north end of the building and a kitchen at the south. It has become a sort of all-purpose room, housing events such after-church fellowship, musical concerts or coffee houses, community meals, committee meetings such as AA. Adjacent to Memorial Hall are the library and youth room.
Trinity Wing
Dedicated in the spring of 2004, Trinity Wing is the latest addition to the physical church. This space provides space for Sunday School and confirmation classes, committee meetings (including our “Zoom Room,” furnished in 2021), small groups such as our Tuesday painting group and our book study, AA meetings, and other gatherings. Offices for the pastor, administrative assistant and treasurer are also located in this building.
Greenwich Nursery School
Since 1973, Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church has been pleased to house the Greenwich Nursery School. Originally set up by the church, the Greenwich Nursery is an accredited school serving children in the community ages 2 ½ to 6. The school is now governed by a separate board and subsidized by the church as a part of its local mission.
Greenwich Cemetery
The Greenwich Cemetery predates the American Revolution, with memorials dating back to 1740. It has beautiful, historic characteristics of an early American church graveyard and nineteenth century rural cemetery. The cemetery's growth through the twentieth century affords visitors a historical cross-section of gradually changing styles of burial layout and monuments, from family plots and vertical markers to the memorial park with flush markers. The cemetery is no longer governed by the church and one need not be Presbyterian to be buried in it.