Summit

Summit. . , The village of Summit was called Perry’s Hollow in the 18th century. Located on a ridge between the Flat River and the Moosup River Watersheds, the name “Summit” signified a high point along the adjacent railroad line. Summit developed when the Providence, Hartford and Fishkill Railroad laid its tracks in 1856 and established a station there. The village included a saw mill, grist mill, blacksmith shop, comb factory, church, library, half a dozen houses, railroad depot and storehouse and a general store. Although the railroad is gone, along with the depot and storehouse, many of the nearby historic buildings survived. , Nixon Hall was built by Giles Nichols in 1888 to serve as a public hall. Various societies including the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, the Summit Free Library Association and the Summit Grange No. 15 met here. The building was later used as a library and today serves as home to the Coventry Historical Society. The Summit General Store was erected in 1885 by Giles Nichols who also served as station agent and postmaster for over 20 years. The Summit Baptist Church was built in 1865 and served an important role in the social and religious life of the village. , Summit Station , The depot building was built in the 1850’s by the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad. The station served an important role as a “wooding up” station where engines were supplied with both water and wood. Although some industry existed in Summit, much of the village was farmland. Farmers produced vegetables, grains, poultry, eggs and milk, which were brought to the depot by wagon and shipped by train to Providence. , Trestle Trail , Trestle Trail is a 10 mile segment of the Washington Secondary Rail-Trail, connecting the western end of the Coventry Greenway with the Moosup Valley Trail in Connecticut. It runs along the abandoned rail corridor which once served the Providence, Hartford and Fishkill Railroad as well as the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. As part of the East Coast Greenway Project, Trestle Trail will be a link in the long distance, urban, shared use trail system connecting 25 major cities along the eastern Seaboard from Maine to Florida.