Groton is an affluent town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population of Groton was 9,547 at the 2000 census. It is home to two world renowned prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse Trials.
History
Groton began with the trading post of John Tinker, who conducted business there with the Nipmuc Algonquin 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 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 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 and Squannacook rivers.
Groton borders the following towns: Pepperell, Dunstable, Tyngsborough, Westford, Littleton, Ayer, Shirley, and Townsend.
Demographics
This article describes the town of Groton as a whole. Additional demographic details are available which describe only the central settlement within the town, although those details are included in the aggregate values reported here. See: Groton (CDP), Massachusetts.
As of the census[1] 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/sq mi (40.0/km²). Groton is one of the least racially diverse towns in New England. 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 $82,869, and the median income for a family was $92,014. Males had a median income of $63,889 versus $41,581 for females. The per capita income for the town was $33,877. About 2.5% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Education
Points of interest
- Groton Historical Society Museum
- Gibbet Hill Castle
- Kaliedascope Gallery
- Noa Gallery
- Autumn Hills Orchard
Notable residents
- George Sewall Boutwell, governor and statesman
- Caleb Butler, historian[citation needed]
- Margaret Fuller, pioneering feminist, literary critic, editor, journalist, Roman Revolutionary
- Peter Gammons, ESPN Baseball Analyst / Former Boston Globe Sports Writer
- John W. (Jay) Geils, Jr., founder of The J. Geils Band[citation needed]
- Peter, Sue, and Christine Hanson, passengers on United Airlines Flight 175 on September 11, 2001
- Kevin Kastning, composer and recording artist[citation needed]
- Abbott Lawrence, businessman, founder of Lawrence, Massachusetts
- Amos Lawrence, merchant and philanthropist
- Amos Adams Lawrence, abolitionist, founder of the University of Kansas and Lawrence University
- Samuel Lawrence, American revolutionary and Groton Academy founder
- Lydia Longley, "The First American Nun"
- Page McConnell, rock pianist/keyboardist
- Otto Piene, German artist
- William Prescott, colonel in the American Revolution, commanded colonial defense at the Battle of Bunker Hill
- Job Shattuck revolutionary soldier and one of the most prominent figures in Shays' Rebellion
- Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe sports columnist
- Edmund Charles Tarbell, artist
- Frank Bigelow Tarbell, scholar
- Paul Matisse, artist and grandson of French impressionist Henri Matisse
- Samuel Willard, colonial minister
References
Further reading
External links
