Greene, Rhode Island
Encyclopedia
Greene is a village and census-designated place
in the southwest corner of the town
of Coventry
, Rhode Island
, United States
. It is on the Connecticut
border, just north of West Greenwich
. The name derives from Nathanael Greene
, a Rhode Island
-born general in the American Revolution
.
in the north. Then in the early 1850s, the railroad came to the area. It was decided to build a depot where local farmers could sell their produce to the trains heading towards Providence and Hartford. Within a few years of opening, the Greene depot was the most important station in western Rhode Island. Every morning farmers would bring their produce to sell to the 7:25 milk train going to Providence. As the station grew in importance, a village grew up around the station. Eventually, a school, church, library, and meeting hall were built as well as a religious campground in the Greene area. The religious campground was perhaps the most important one in Rhode Island, where every summer, camp meetings were held, which were held in the style more commonly found in the South and in the Mid-West. The railroad would add on extra cars to their trains, and up to 10,000 people would attend. After the beginning of the 20th century, the camp meeting declined and ended decades later.
With the coming of the automobile in the first part of the 20th century, the railroad's importance declined greatly, and in 1969, closed. Today, Greene is a shadow of what it once was. However, the village is mostly intact, with most of the buildings dating from the late 19th century.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
in the southwest corner of the town
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
of Coventry
Coventry, Rhode Island
Coventry is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 35,014 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of . of it is land and of it is water...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is on the Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
border, just north of West Greenwich
West Greenwich, Rhode Island
West Greenwich is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 6,135 at the 2010 census. West Greenwich was named for Greenwich, Kent, England...
. The name derives from Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United...
, a Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
-born general in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
History
Greene was until 1854 a swamp with a cart path going through it. The path connected Hopkins Hollow to the south and Rice CityRice City Historic District
Rice City Historic District is a historic district in Coventry, Rhode Island.The district was built in 1732 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980....
in the north. Then in the early 1850s, the railroad came to the area. It was decided to build a depot where local farmers could sell their produce to the trains heading towards Providence and Hartford. Within a few years of opening, the Greene depot was the most important station in western Rhode Island. Every morning farmers would bring their produce to sell to the 7:25 milk train going to Providence. As the station grew in importance, a village grew up around the station. Eventually, a school, church, library, and meeting hall were built as well as a religious campground in the Greene area. The religious campground was perhaps the most important one in Rhode Island, where every summer, camp meetings were held, which were held in the style more commonly found in the South and in the Mid-West. The railroad would add on extra cars to their trains, and up to 10,000 people would attend. After the beginning of the 20th century, the camp meeting declined and ended decades later.
With the coming of the automobile in the first part of the 20th century, the railroad's importance declined greatly, and in 1969, closed. Today, Greene is a shadow of what it once was. However, the village is mostly intact, with most of the buildings dating from the late 19th century.