History
Groton began with the
trading post of John Tinker, who conducted business here with the
Nashaway
Abenaki
Indians at the confluence of Nod Brook and the
Nashua River. Indians called the area "Petapawag," meaning "swampy
land." Pioneers would follow Indian trails from
Massachusetts Bay, as Tinker had, and found the region productive
for
fishing and
farming.
The town was officially settled and incorporated in
1655, named
for Groton in
Suffolk
County,
England,
the hometown of an early selectman, Dean Winthrop. Called "The
Plantation of Groton," it included all of present-day Groton and
Ayer,
almost all of
Pepperell and
Shirley, large parts of
Dunstable and
Littleton, plus smaller parts of
Harvard,
Westford,
Nashua, NH, and
Hollis, NH.
During
King Philip's War, in
1676 the
Indians burned all but four Groton
garrisons. Survivors fled to
Concord and other safe havens, but returned two years later to
rebuild the town. Groton would again be beset by Indians during
Queen Anne's War, when several citizens of the town were abducted to
Canada.
In 1775,
the
common in front of the First Parish Church was an assembly area for
Groton
Minutemen, who fought in the
Battle of Lexington and Concord.
Notable Inhabitants:
Historic Sites & Museums:
- Groton Historical Society Museum
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