• Home
  • Posts
  • Founders Day Celebrates Town Origins and ‘Places That Matter’

Founders Day Celebrates Town Origins and ‘Places That Matter’

founders1-7-21
The Greenwich Historical Society celebrated Founders Day at Innis Arden Cottage this past Tuesday (John Ferris Robben photo).

By Richard Kaufman
Sentinel Reporter

Elected officials and assorted town residents, along with the Greenwich Historical Society, gathered at Innis Arden Cottage at Greenwich Point Park on Tuesday morning to celebrate the 377th anniversary of the founding of Greenwich.

The celebration coincided with the town’s “This Place Matters!” contest in which residents were tasked with taking photographs of places in Greenwich that matter to them. More than 60 photos were submitted for the contest, and five were chosen as winners during the Founders Day celebration.

The photos were selected by a panel of judges consisting of Michael Biondo, an architectural photographer; Rachel Franco, a preservation advocate; Joseph Kantorski, a professional graphic designer; Robin Kencel, co-chair of the Experience Greenwich public relations initiative; and Carrie Wallack, program chairperson.

Coming in fifth place was Catherine Tompkins’ photo of her neighbors on Park Avenue; Alexandra Bogdanovic’s photo of the Byram Clambake Pavilion took fourth; Wallack’s photo of Ada’s Kitchen & Coffee won third; the Maloney family’s photo of the 9/11 memorial took second place; and Joseph Weed’s submission of a sunset at Tod’s Point claimed first.

Winners received prizes to several highly anticipated annual events that are sponsored by the Historical Society.

The winning photos all received critical acclaim from the judges, but the Maloney’s submission drew over 35,000 hits on the Greenwich Historical Society’s Facebook page. Sisters Mason and Teddy Maloney were photographed in front of Greenwich’s 9/11 memorial, where their father, Teddy, is remembered.

“[Our family is] always there for each other and I think that memorial helps bring us all closer together,” Mason said. “We can just go there and talk about things. It’s such a pretty memorial.”

The girls’ grandmother, Sally Maloney, said it was both wrenching and soothing to submit the photo. She also credited memorial architect Chuck Hilton with being an integral part in helping see the project come to fruition. “It took us many years to get this far,” she said. “We needed it here.”

The photo contest was a fitting way to help celebrate Founders Day, which takes place on July 18 every year. First Selectman Peter Tesei, who was in attendance, said that the day was a great way to combine the past history of Greenwich with the present.

“I think it’s a wonderful way to celebrate the 377th anniversary of the founding of the town by highlighting the places that are special to people and having those people reflect upon the history of those particular locations,” he said. “Having the photography to highlight the unique nature of those places and seeing the people in those photographs give great excitement about what the future holds for the town in terms of the interest, the passion for the community and all it has to offer.”

State Sen. Scott Frantz said the photo contest helped raise awareness of what Founders Day is all about. He also noted that it’s always interesting to rehash the history of how the town came to be.

“You can’t hear the basic history of the beginning of the town enough,” he said. “It’s just a wonderful story of the Feakes purchasing this particular part of town.”

European settlers purchased land now known as Old Greenwich from the Native Americans for the sum of 25 coats—11 of which were paid—in 1640.

“It’s kind of neat to think about the terms of that deal and what’s happened to this place ever since and to see when you fast forward to 2017 what it’s like today,” Frantz added. “It’s come a long way that’s for sure and it’s still a wonderful place.”

While only a handful of photos were selected as winners of the “This Place Matters!” contest, Founders Day certainly helped amplify the fact that all of Greenwich is important.

Related Posts
Loading...