Celebrate Greenwich's 375th Anniversary with a Tour of Pemberwick-Glenville

Spend the day learning about and celebrating the history of the Pemberwick - Glenville neighborhoods of Greenwich.

As part of Greenwich’s 375th anniversary, the Pemberwick/Glenville Historic Rail-Bed-Trail Tour will be held on Sunday, May 31 beginning at 10 a.m. The tour can be capped off by dropping in on the annual Pemberwick/Glenville Association’s annual celebration that will be held at Pemberwick Park, beginning at noon.

All tour participants will walk the first section of the former rail bed led by a guide who will discuss the history of the proposed Pemberwick/Glenville rail line, the topographical changes which resulted over time, the recent history, and notable local sites along the trail.

At the end of the first section, walkers may either detour on a path for pickup by a minibus, or hike along the unfinished section of the rail bed with a guide, before joining the rest of the tour group. Those taking the bus, will stop in Glenville at the “Train Depot” to visit the site of the former American Felt Mill, which closed its doors in 1979, and learn about its early history.

The final leg of the Tour will travel north through the center of the original “Mill Town” to another site the rail line was proposed to traverse, noting other historical sites.

The Tour will then circle back so that participants will have the option of joining the festivities at the Pemberwick/ Glenville Annual Celebration (also free admission) at Pemberwick Park, which begins at noon. Shuttle service back to the Comly Avenue parking lot will be available throughout the day until the end of the event at 5 p.m.

(Tour participants will assemble at the Yantorno Center/Tennis Court in Pemberwick Park. Because parking is only available for bicycles, those coming by car will be asked to park in the large lot at the corner of Comly Avenue and Pemberwick Road, the former Russell, Burdsall and Ward Nut and Bolt Factory site until 1882, where a bus will take them to Pemberwick Park.)

Photo: the falls at the former Russell, Burdsall and Ward Nut and Bolt Factory site at the corner of Comly Avenue and Pemberwick Road, Greenwich. Credit: Barbara Heins.