Cos Cob, inhabited in the seventeenth century by the Siwanoy Indians, was originally known as Mianus, after the Siwanoy Chief, Myanos. The Siwanoy harvested clams, oysters and scallops on the Long Island Sound. Later, Cos Cob was home to Dutch and English colonists. It got its present name from an early English settler, Joe Coe. Coe owned the land around the mouth of the Mianus River and built a stone seawall to protect his shoreline. The wall was referred to as a "cob" and it ultimately became known as Coe's Cob. When Coe moved away in 1659, the name remained but the "e" was dropped over time.Cos Cob remained an active seaport during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A Dutchman named Justus Bush bought land with a small structure on it in 1738. He expanded this structure into what is now known as the Bush-Holley house. A dam and bridge were built across Strickland Brook in 1763 by Justus' son, David Bush. He owned a gristmill below the dam. The Lower Landing became a port where market vessels docked bringing supplies in and out of the harbor. Sea captains began building large homes along Strickland and River Roads. Horse-drawn wagons would bring fresh produce from Greenwich Farms to be loaded onto these boats, bound for New York. The area prospered, making it a target economically and strategically in the Revolutionary War. In February 1779, the British raided Cos Cob and destroyed the Lower Landing with its store houses and supplies.
At the turn of the nineteenth century, Cos Cob was a sparsely-populated picturesque community with many acres of inexpensive, undeveloped land. Because of its location on the harbor, it became a popular summer resort for New Yorkers. Cos Cob was becoming an artistic community, drawing talented writers and gifted artists. Cos Cob has been home to such artists as Jean Webster, Willa Cather, Eugene O'Neill, Walter Lippman and Anya Seton. Anya's father, Ernest Thompson Seton, owned one hundred acres along Bible Street and was the founder of the Boy Scouts of America.
In the early twentieth century, the Post Road was being developed with electric lines, water lines and trolley service. Because of its central location, this Cos Cob business district became known as The Hub. Construction of new stores at The Hub continued through the 1940's as sidewalks and gas lines were added. In 1967 the Mill Pond Shopping Center was built on the south side of the Post Road. As The Hub was being developed in the early 1900's, back country Cos Cob farmers began selling their land to New Yorkers seeking to relocate. When bus service arrived on the Post Road in 1925, it was so successful that trolley service was discontinued. Soon after, of course, automobiles became the major means of transportation. In 1938, the opening of the Merritt Parkway began to relieve traffic on the Post Road but since trucks were not permitted on the Parkway, there was still significant congestion. On August 25, 1958 the Connecticut Turnpike opened when the Mianus River Bridge was completed.
Today, Cos Cob is a small village with a mix of private residences, condominiums, its own post office, school and railroad station, the shops and restaurants of The Hub and a harbor still active with marinas.
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