There are several neighborhoods in central Greenwich where African Americans have lived for more than 100 years. These included Cassidy Park, Davis Avenue and the Fourth Ward. African Americans began to settle in the Fourth Ward shortly after they arrived from the South in the 1880s, seeking work as domestics. Those already residing in Greenwich's rural areas moved closer to the center of town as farming jobs declined. The 45 black residents in the 1890 census accounted for about 10% of the neighborhood's population, which was also composed of Irish immigrants who had begun to arrive in the 1840s. An equal number of African Americans resided on lower Lake Avenue, the neighborhood where Little Bethel Church was located. These two enclaves contained the largest concentrations of African Americans at that time, but would be rapidly surpassed by the Chickahominy neighborhood in the following decades.

The area identified on this map as the "Colored Settlement" was an African American neighborhood in the 19th century located at the bottom of Lake Avenue in an area known as Hangroot. The artist John Twachtman purchased a house in this area that had formerly been the home of Lawrence Green, an African American. Twachtman selected this location because he was attracted to the picturesque quality of the older homes and structures in the neighborhood.

Image: Driving Road Chart of the Country Surrounding New York City (Hyde & Company, 1887). The Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich.