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Groton is a town in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, within the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The population was 11,315 at the 2020 census.[3] It is home to two prep schools: Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1792 and the third-oldest private school in Massachusetts; and Groton School, founded in 1884.[4][5]
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.
The town was a battlefield in King Philip's War[6] and Queen Anne's War, as England and France competed through their North American colonies from the 17th century well into the 18th century.[6] It was the birthplace of William Prescott, who commanded the colonial forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolution.[7] In postwar years, it had incidents of insurrection during Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787).[8]
Notable people
- Andy Anderson, US National Team and Groton School Rowing Coach[44] and member of the National Rowing Hall of Fame[45]
- Charles William Bardeen, educator and publisher[46]
- John P. Bigelow, mayor of Boston
- Timothy Bigelow, lawyer, and father of John
- George Sewall Boutwell, governor and statesman
- Bill Camp, actor
- 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
- Kristen Gilbert, serial killer
- Samuel Abbott Green, physician and mayor of Boston
- 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
- Shabazz Napier, basketball player
- Shelley Olds, professional cyclist who represented the United States in the 2012 Summer Olympics[47]
- 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
Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts
References
- Wikipedia contributors, "Groton, Massachusetts," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, < link (accessed February 18, 2024).