Greenwood Road

United States Migration  Trails and Roads  Connecticut  Massachusetts  New York  Greenwood Road

Did an ancestor travel the Greenwood Road of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York? Learn about this settler migration route, its transportation history, and find related genealogy sources.

History
The Greenwood Road, also known as the Greenwoods Turnpike, was chartered by the Connecticut legislature in October 1798. In Massachusetts it was also called the Twelfth Massachusetts Turnpike chartered in 1801, and sometimes was locally called the Litchfield Turnpike. It connected to and became the Hudson Turnpike in New York State bound for Albany. The Greenwood Road was one of the most heavily used roads to transport New England residents to Albany, New York, gateway to the Erie Canal.

The Greenwood Road route likely existed as a horse path or no-charge wagon road prior to being chartered as a turnpike (toll roll). The Connecticut part of the turnpike was in operation (assessing tolls?) from 1799 to 1872. As railroads entered an area, the long distance overland wagon roads (especially the toll roads) became less used. Railroads like these began moving settlers and replaced much of the wagon road traffic in the area:
 * 1831 Mohawk and Hudson RR (Albany - Buffalo)
 * 1833 Hartford and New Haven RR
 * 1836 Albany and West Stockbridge RR
 * 1836 Housatonic RR (Bridgeport CT - Hudson and Berkshire RR_
 * 1838 Hudson and Berkshire RR (Hudson NY - Housatonic RR)

Route
Starts from Hartford, Connecticut. Runs northwest through Winsted, Norfolk, and North Canaan, then north into Massachusetts along the east side of the Housatonic River to Great Barrington, from there to Pittsfield, and then over the hills northwest into the corner of Columbia County, New York, and from there northwest to the city of Albany. Today it is parallel to US Route 44, U.S. Route 7, and U.S. Route 20.

Settler Records
No list is known to exist of migrating citizens who used the Greenwood Road and decided to settle along it. However, many of the earliest settlers in the area would have used this road to reach their new home. The Greenwood Road would have attracted nearby settlers because it helped them reach markets for buying and selling goods and services. Therefore, the land, tax records, and histories of the earliest settlers along the route would list the names of people likely to have used the Greenwood Road.