A brief history of the Village of Warwick
The name “Warwick” is derived from a farm of thousands of acres that covered much of the area that is now the Village of Warwick. Settled in 1764, the village boasts structures that predate the Revolutionary War.

Village life was transformed in 1860 with the opening of the Warwick Valley Railroad, headquartered here. This rail company grew to include other freight and passenger lines, eventually becoming, in the 1880s, the Lehigh and Hudson River Railway Company.

Suddenly, Warwick was prospering. By 1902, the village was a commercial, industrial and financial center, with its own telephone and power companies, two vibrant weekly newspapers, a range of financial institutions, and its own railroad station.

Wealthy dairy farmers had beautiful homes along the tree-lined streets, which also featured sidewalks and flowerboxes. Warwick became the premier shopping center in the region, the heart of the Town of Warwick, which also includes the agricultural village of Florida and Greenwood Lake, and a popular destination for vacationers from New York City.

By the 1950s the emergence of the automobile was taking its toll. Business declined on Warwick’s Main Street. Dairy farming began its decline as mechanization replaced old-fashioned milking methods. In 1972, the Lehigh and Hudson Railroad declared bankruptcy.

Citizens worked to keep businesses on Main Street from going under. Then, in 1967, the village held its centennial celebration, an event that galvanized community leaders and roused a new civic spirit. Businesses were modernized, and historic buildings and homes were restored. In 1984, Warwick was placed on the National and State Registers of historic places, honoring 208 historic buildings, nearly all of them built before the 20th century.

Click here to go to the main Warwick Grove site