Groton, Massachusetts

Groton is a town in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,873 at the 2012 town census. It is home to two prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town was a battlefield in King Philip's War and Queen Anne's War, experienced incidents of insurrection during Shays's Rebellion, and was the birthplace of William Prescott, who commanded the rebel forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

History
The area had for thousands of years been the territory of various cultures of indigenous peoples. They settled along the rivers for fishing and transportation. Historic tribes were Algonquian-speaking Nipmuc and Nashaway Indians.

The Anglo-American Groton started with the trading post of John Tinker, who conducted business there with the Nashaway at the confluence of Nod Brook and the Nashua River. The Nashaway called the area Petapawag, meaning "swampy land." Other pioneers followed the Algonquian trails from Massachusetts Bay, as Tinker had. They found the region productive for fishing and farming.

The town was officially settled and incorporated in 1655, named for Groton in Suffolk, England. Called The Plantation of Groton, it included all of present-day Groton and Ayer, almost all of Pepperell and Shirley, large parts of Dunstable, Littleton, and Tyngsborough plus smaller parts of Harvard and Westford, as well as Nashua, New Hampshire and Hollis, New Hampshire.

During King Philip's War, on March 13, 1676, Indians burned all buildings except for four Groton garrisons. One of those killed was John Nutting, a Selectman at Groton. Survivors fled to Concord and other safe havens, but two years later returned to rebuild. Native Americans attacked the town again during Queen Anne's War. In 1775, the common in front of the First Parish Church was an assembly area for Minutemen, who fought in the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Groton has a total area of 33.7 square miles (87.3 km²), of which 32.8 square miles (84.9 km²) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²) (2.79%) is water. Groton is the largest town in Middlesex County in terms of square mileage. The town is drained by the Nashua River and Squannacook River. The center of the town is dominated mainly by Gibbet Hill, with several other large hills throughout the town.

Groton is served by state routes 40, 111, 119 and 225. It borders the towns of Pepperell, Dunstable, Tyngsborough, Westford, Littleton, Ayer, Shirley and Townsend.

Demographics
See also: Groton (CDP), Massachusetts

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,547 people, 3,268 households, and 2,568 families residing in the town. The population density was 291.3 people per square mile (112.5/km²). There were 3,393 housing units at an average density of 103.5 per square mile (40.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.22% White, 0.35% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.

There were 3,268 households out of which 46.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.31.

The age distribution of the town's population was 32.6% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $118,041, and the median income for a family was $136,653. Males had a median income of $101,117 versus $60,402 for females. The per capita income for the town was $44,756. About 1.1% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Sports
Groton resident Shelley Olds is a professional cyclist who represented the United States in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Groton annually hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse Trials, an equestrian competition.

Government
The town is governed by an open Town Meeting and administered by an elected Board of Selectmen and appointed Town Manager.

District schools

 * Boutwell School
 * Florence Roche Elementary School
 * Groton-Dunstable Regional Middle School
 * Groton-Dunstable Regional High School
 * Prescott Elementary School (Closed after the 2007-2008 school year due to budget cuts)

Other public schools

 * Nashoba Valley Technical High School - Public Regional Vocational Technical High School located in Westford

Private schools

 * Country Day School of the Holy Union (Founded 1949)
 * Lawrence Academy (Founded 1793 as Groton Academy)
 * Groton School (Founded 1884)
 * Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture (Founded 1901, merged with Rhode Island School of Design in 1945)

Points of interest

 * Groton Historical Society & Museum
 * Gibbet Hill Castle
 * Kalliroscope Gallery
 * Autumn Hills Orchard
 * Grotonwood Camp and Conference Center
 * The Old Groton Inn
 * Groton Public Library
 * The Groton School
 * Lawrence Academy

Buildings and structures

 * Gov. George S. Boutwell House
 * Indian Hill House
 * Groton Inn, burned down on the night of August 2, 2011

Notable natives and residents

 * Andy Anderson, US National Team and Groton School Rowing Coach
 * Charles William Bardeen, educator and publisher
 * John P. Bigelow, mayor of Boston
 * Timothy Bigelow, lawyer, and father of John
 * George Sewall Boutwell, governor and statesman
 * Samuel Dana, clergyman
 * Samuel Dana, congressman
 * Margaret Fuller, journalist, critic and women's rights activist
 * Timothy Fuller, U.S. Congressman, and father of Margaret
 * Peter Gammons, sports writer and analyst
 * J. Geils, founder of The J. Geils Band
 * Samuel Abbott Green, physician and mayor of Boston
 * Peter, Sue Kim, and Christine Hanson, killed on board United Airlines Flight 175 on September 11, 2001 (the latter was the youngest victim of the attacks, at just 2 1/2 years old)
 * Kevin Kastning, musician, composer and musical instrument inventor
 * Elizabeth Knapp, the Witch of Groton
 * Steve Kornacki, political writer and TV host
 * Abbott Lawrence, businessman, founder of Lawrence
 * Amos Lawrence, merchant and philanthropist
 * Amos Adams Lawrence, abolitionist and college founder
 * Samuel Lawrence, revolutionary and school founder
 * Barzillai Lew, soldier, fifer and drummer
 * Lydia Longley, "The First American Nun"
 * Paul Matisse, artist and inventor
 * Shelley Olds, racing cyclist
 * Edward Saxton Payson, Esperantist, writer and translator
 * Otto Piene, German artist
 * Oliver Prescott, Massachusetts general, physician and judge
 * William Prescott, revolutionary soldier
 * William M. Richardson, U.S. Congressman
 * Job Shattuck, soldier, Shays' Rebellion agitator
 * Dan Shaughnessy, Boston sports columnist
 * Ether Shepley, US Senator from Maine
 * Lucius Edwin Smith, pastor of the Baptist church in Groton 1858-1865
 * Charles Warren Stone, US Congressman
 * Edmund C. Tarbell, artist, American Impressionist
 * Frank Bigelow Tarbell, professor and author
 * Samuel Willard, colonial minister
 * Simon Willard, colonist, father of Samuel