USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Groton > Historical sketch of Groton, Massachusetts. 1655-1890 > Part 16
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"At the same meeting it was agreed vpon and voted that Mr Hubberd should have all the comon which was capable to mak medow in swan
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pond medow vp to the vpland for seauen acre and a halfe for to mak vp his fifteen acres of medow."
The following names of meadows are found in the town records, and in a few instances I have indicated their locality :
Accident ; Angle, in the northerly part of the town; Big Spring, in the neighborhood of Hawtree Brook; Broad, immediately west of the village; Brook; Brown Loaf, east of the hill; Buck, now lying within the limits of Nashua, New Hampshire ; Burnt, in the vicinity of Baddacook Pond; Cow Pond, near the pond of that name; East; Ferney, near Brown Loaf; Flaggy, to the southward of the Baddacook road, near the pond; Flax; Great Flaggy, presumably near Flaggy, and perhaps the same; Great Half-Moon, the same as Half-Moon, which lies east of the village ; Little Buck, probably a part of Buck Meadow ; Little Half-Moon, a part of Half-Moon, being an offshoot from it; Lodge; Long; Maple; Massapoag, evidently near Massapoag Pond; New Angle; Pine; Plain; Pretty; Provi- dence ; Quasoponagon, "on the other sid of the riuer," near the Red Bridge, through which Wrang- ling Brook runs ; Reedy, known by this name to-day, lying north of the Reedy Meadow Road; Rock, south of Snake Hill ; Sallo, perhaps Sallow, a kind of willow ; Sedge; Skull, through which Unqueten- assett Brook runs, near the Dunstable line ; Sledge, north of Reedy Meadow, near the Sledges ; South ; South Brook; Spang; Spot; Spring; Spruce ; Swamp; Swan Pond; and Weavers.
In the record of Daniel Pearse's land, by William
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Longley, town clerk, on July 6, 1666, reference is made to the "iland lying within the meadow called Litle Halfe Moone Meadow." This land now be- longs to Governor Boutwell, and there is upon it a small knoll which is always spoken of as the island, undoubtedly a survival of the expression applied to it when more or less surrounded by water.
BROOKS .- Cold Spring Brook-a small brook, rising in Cold Spring " on yo Left hand of the high way that goe to Reedy medow." It runs across the Nashua road, the East Pepperell road, through Hazen Swamp and Libby Lobby Moat, into the Nashua River.
Cow Pond Brook-has its source in Cow Pond Meadows and Cow Pond, and empties into Massapoag Pond. Formerly there was a dam between the mead- ows and the pond, where there was a saw-mill; and later on the same site a paper-mill, which disappeared about thirty-five years ago.
Gift Brook-in the north part of the town, rises in Gift Meadow, crosses Chicopee Row, and empties into Unquetenassett Brook.
James's Brook-one of the longest brooks within the limits of the town. It takes its rise in Half-Moon Meadow, crosses Main Street in the village, and runs southerly and westerly for three or four miles into the Nashua River. At its mouth is the beginning of the line separating the town of Ayer from Groton. For- merly there was a tannery on the banks of the brook, near Indian Hill, known as Dix's tannery ; and a mile below, on land of the late Benjamin Moors, east of the road, at one time there was a mill,-but now no traces of either are left, except some remains of the mill-
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dam. The stream took its name from an Indian, who was a famous hunter and trapper in very early times. It empties into the Nashua River, nearly opposite to the mouth of the Squannacook.
Hawtree Brook-in the northerly part of the town, near Chicopee Row ; after it unites with Walnut Run and two or three other small streams, it forms Unque- tenassett Brook. In the early records of the town the Hawtrees are frequently spoken of, which refer to the neighborhood of this brook.
Nod Brook-rises near the Soapstone Quarry, crosses the Nod road, and runs into the Nashua River.
Reedy Meadow Brook-rises in Reedy Meadow and flows northerly, emptying into the Nashua River below East Pepperell. It is sometimes called John- son's Brook.
Sedge Brook-a small brook from Sedge Meadow, running into Reedy Meadow Brook.
Tuity Brook-contracted from Gratuity-a very small stream which rises near the head of Farmers' Row and runs through Hazle Grove into the Nashua River below Fitch's Bridge.
Unquetenassett Brook - often called Unkety - A stream formed by the union of Walnut Run, Haw- tree Brook, and one or two small tributaries, and run- ning northerly through Skull Meadow and that part of Dunstable formerly Groton into the Nashua.
Walnut Run-a brook issuing from the sides of Chestnut Hills and uniting with Hawtree Brook and one or two other streams, forms the Unquetenassett.
Also the name of a place-perhaps it was the mouth of a stream-on the Nashua River where in olden
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times there was a bridge. It stood farther up the river than Fitch's Bridge.
Wrangling Brook-in West Groton, a mile and a half in length-meanders through Quasoponagon Meadow, and then empties into the Nashua a short distance below the Red Bridge.
ROADS .- Baddacook Pond Road-a continuation of the Martin's Pond Road to the neighborhood of the pond.
Break Neck-the short strip of road from the East Pepperell road to Common Street, south of the soap- stone quarry.
Chicopee Row-running north for three miles from the Cemetery. The district to which it leads is known as Chicopee, a name given long ago.
Farmers' Row- applied to the road on the height of land west of the village. It begins at the west end of Pleasant Street, and runs in a southerly direction for two miles, passing by the Groton School.
Great Road-one of the principal thoroughfares between Boston and parts of New Hampshire and Vermont. The section of the road through the vil- lage is known as Main Street.
Hillside Road-the highway along the southern slope of the Indian Hills.
Love Lane-the highway from the Lowell Road, near the First Parish Meeting-house, to the Great Road near Cady Pond.
Martin's Pond Road-the highway from the site of the first meeting-house to the neighborhood of the pond, where it becomes the Baddacook Pond Road.
Reedy Meadow Road-from the Nashua road to Chicopee Row, immediately south of Reedy Meadow.
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Squash Path-through the woods from the East Pepperell road to the Nashua road-a short distance beyond Cold Spring Brook.
Tuity Road-a contraction of Gratuity Road-the road leading to Fitch's Bridge from the Great Road near the railroad bridge, half a mile north of the village. The name had its origin in the early history of the town, when grants of land were made to the inhabit- ants as gratuities. Tuity Brook, a very small stream, crosses this road and empties into the Nashua River, below Fitch's Bridge.
MISCELLANEOUS .- Brickyard-on the north side of the Great Road, about a mile from the First Parish Meeting-house. It was much used during the last century ; and probably was the place where the bricks were made for the parsonage, as mentioned in the town-records, June 20, 1706. Only a few traces of it are now left, though a clump of elms by the road- side is a good guide to the site.
Brown Loaf Plain-to the west of Brown Loaf.
Community-the name of a district or neighbor- hood beyond the Groton School, where many of the residents formerly held similar religious views. It had its origin nearly fifty years ago, when the Sec- ond Adventists, or "Millerites," gave up their regu- lar services in the village.
Dead River-the old course of the Nashua River, around the island which was formed by the cutting through of the "neck."
Deep Soil-in the neighborhood of the race-course, in Hazle Grove; so-called on the lucus a non lucendo principle.
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Fitch's Bridge-over the Nashua River, a mile and a quarter below the Red Bridge.
General Field-often mentioned in the early town, records, refers to land owned in severalty by the pro- prietors of Groton, who kept it as one field, for rea- sons not now understood. It was upland, and lay in the southwest part of the town, near the river. It appears to have been allotted to the proprietors, ac- cording to the number of acre-rights which each one owned. Perhaps it was land already cleared when the first settlers came.
The Gift-a parcel of land near Reedy Meadow, in the north part of the town.
The Hawtrees-mentioned several times in the early records, and referring, doubtless, to some native shrubs or trees; for instance, Zachery Sawtell had meadow-land "Neare the hawtrees " confirmed to him on November 18, 1670. It evidently became the name of a limited district or neighborhood in the north part of the town, and from it undoubtedly Hawtree Brook was named. The late Professor Asa Gray, the distin- guished botanist, wrote me that there are three or four species of wild hawthorn in Massachusetts. He says : " One of the forms of the Black or Pear Thorn ( Cra- tægus tomentosa) would be the likeliest for Groton, of perhaps the Cockspur Thorn. The former has the more edible fruit, and would be sure to attract atten- tion."
Hazen Swamp-near the mouth of Cold Spring Brook.
Hazle Grove-the neighborhood of the east bank of the Nashua River above Fitch's Bridge.
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Hicks's Hole-a small piece of meadow, lying north of Reedy Meadow.
High Plain-on the north side of the Baddacook road, in the neighborhood of the pond. It lies in the angle of the roads, west of the house of John John- son, Jr., as laid down on the map of Groton, made from a survey during the years 1828 and 1829.
Hog Swamp-lying between the westerly side of Martin's Pond and Martin's Pond Road. Governor Boutwell's private way to the Chestnut Hills passes through it.
Hoyt's Wharf-the name of a place on Cow Pond Brook where one Hoyt formerly kept his boat. It was near the house of Samuel Hazen,-as laid down on the map of Groton, made from a survey during the years 1828 and 1829,-nearly a mile north of Cow Pond.
The Island-a small, though prominent, hill in the meadow south of Hillside Road ; undoubtedly once surrounded by water.
Jamaica-the name of a small patch of meadow behind the hills on the west side of Chicopee Row.
Libby Lobby Moat-below the Ox Bow, opening into the Nashua River. This word is probably another form of Loblolly, in 'use at the South, and denoting wet land.
Lily Moat-on the east side of the Nashua and south of the road, near the Red Bridge.
Madagascar-the name of the district where the paper-mill formerly stood on the brook, between Cow Pond and Knop's Pond.
Nod-the district lying in the neighborhood of the four corners, below the soapstone quarry. The
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road from the Hollingsworth Paper-mills to this place is called the Nod Road.
Ox Bow-the bend of the Nashua River, in the northerly part of the town, below the Lawrence pas- ture.
Paugus Hole-in Paugus Brook, on the west side of Brown Loaf, where, it is said, the body of Paugus's descendant, who came to kill Chamberlain, was sunk, after he himself was killed.
Pine Plain-probably near the Nashua River, and perhaps on the westerly side. In December, 1673, Joseph Morse had meadow-lands on the Pine Plain, " neare the fordway."
Punch Bowl-one of several natural depressions near the Lowell road, below Brown Loaf. The name is also applied to the neighborhood.
Red Bridge-over the Nashua River, on the road to West Groton.
Sledges-the name of a meadow northeast of Reedy Meadow, mentioned in the early records, where John Lakin owned land. Mr. Butler, in his History (page 273), says that "this word seems to signify strips of meadow or parcels of low lands abounding in iron ore." Bog-iron is found in that quarter of the town, and in old times was worked by a company formed for that purpose.
Sodom-the district in the northwest part of the town, near the Townsend line. The name refers to the quality of the soil, and not to the character of the inhabitants.
Squannacook-an Indian word-the old name of West Groton,-applied to the river passing by that village.
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Stony Fordway, or Wading-Place -- near the site of the Hollingsworth Paper-mills, on the Nashua River, a mile and a half northwesterly of the village.
Swill Bridge-was between the homesteads of Eber Woods, Jr., and Joel Davis,-as given on Mr. Butler's map of Groton, from a survey made in the years 1828 and 1829,-a short distance west of the present rail- road bridge. Originally it was a causeway, perhaps twenty rods in length, over the southerly end of Broad Meadow, though now it is a solid road.
. Thomas Tarbell's Fordway-was between where the Red Bridge now stands and Fitch's Bridge, which is a mile and a quarter below.
Tobacco Pipe Piain-on both sides of the road from the Ridges to Sandy Pond, near Rocky Hill. It is mentioned in the "Bye-Laws of Groton relative to Schools; and Instruction of the School Committee, 1805," and in old deeds.
REFLECTION OF LIGHT .- The reflection of the electric light in Boston and the surrounding towns can be seen from certain elevations at a great dis- tance. When the atmospheric conditions are favor- able, it is distinctly visible on particular nights from Indian Hill at Groton, in the neighborhood of Ma- jor Moses Poor Palmer's house, and from other places in the town. A slight haziness in the air is needed in order to receive the reflection. The dis- tance from Boston to Groton in a straight line is about thirty miles, though the illumination is helped by the electric systems of Newton and Waltham, which are somewhat nearer. From different points in the village of Groton the reflection of the circuits
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at Nashua, Lowell, Clinton and Fitchburg is often visible, which places are twelve or thirteen miles dis- tant as the crow flies.
The illumination of the heavens during the great fire that occurred in Boston on the night of Novem- ber 9, 1872, was distinctly seen by various persons in different parts of the town.
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
ABBOTT LAWRENCE.
The name of Lawrence is one of the earliest to be found among the Puritan settlers of Massachusetts. John Lawrence, the first emigrant of the name, was established in Watertown as early as 1635.
Abbott Lawrence was the fifth son of Samuel and Susanna Lawrence. He was born in Groton on the 16th day of December, 1792. He received the family name of his paternal grandmother, Abigail Abbott, daughter of Nehemiah Abbott, of Lexington. His education, begun at the district school, was completed at the academy of the town, of which his father had been a trustee for many years. He enjoyed nothing in the way of educational advantages beyond this, but he evidently improved the time and turned all that he received to the best account. In 1808 he was sent to Boston and placed as an apprentice to his elder brother, Amos Lawrence, who had been for some years established there as an importer of English goods. By steady application and fidelity he pre-
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pared himself in this subordinate position for the re- sponsibilities which were soon to come upon him as a principal. In 1814 he was admitted to partnership with his brother. The times were by no means encour- aging, as we were in the midst of our war with Eng- land, and after a few months the prospect seemed so unpromising that Mr. Lawrence proposed to withdraw from the business and enter the army. He had pre- viously been an active member of the New England Guards. He applied to the War Department for a commission, but before an answer could be received the news of peace arrived, and he abandoned all thought of a military life. He embarked in the first vessel that left Boston for England after the procla- mation of peace to purchase goods for the market. " The passage was a short one. With characteristic ardor, he was the first to leap on shore, being thus, perhaps, the first American who touched his fatherland after the war was ended." He remained abroad for some time, on the occasion of this his first voyage to Europe, visiting the Continent, where he saw the allied armies immediately after the battle of Waterloo.
Messrs. A. & A. Lawrence soon engaged largely in the sale of cotton and woolen goods of domestic man- ufacture, and devoted all their energies to foster this great branch of the national industry. Mr. Lawrence's interest in the work of railroad construction in New England was hardly less than in the establishment and extension of the manufacturing system. He was a large subscriber to the various railroads projected for the concentration of trade in Boston, and this from a feeling of patriotism rather than the expecta-
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tion of profit. Mr. Lawrence was chosen to represent Massachusetts at the Harrisburg Convention in 1827 and took a prominent part in its proceedings. In 1831 he was elected to the Common Council of Boston, but declined a re-election. In 1834 he was elected to Congress. On taking his place he was at once put on the Committee of Ways and Means. On the ex pira- tion of his term his constituents testified their sense of his services by inviting him to a public dinner. This he declined in a letter in which he touches on the great questions of the day. He de- clined a re-election to Congress, although the mem- bers of the opposite party gave him the remarkable assurance that, if he would consent to stand, no can- didate should be brought out against him. Two years later he consented to accept a second nomina- tion and again took his seat in the House. Shortly after his arrival he was attacked by typhus fever, so that for some time small hopes were entertained of his recovery. He resigned in the following autumn.
In the Presidential campaign of 1840, Mr. Law- rence took an active part in favor of the election of General Harrison. In September, 1842, he was pres- ident of the Whig Convention which nominated Henry Clay for President on the part of Massachusetts.
In 1842 Mr. Lawrence was appointed by the Gov- ernor one of the commissioners on the part of Mas- sachusetts to negotiate a settlement of our northeast- ern boundary, which had been a source of irritation for many years between the United States and Eng- land. Quoting Mr. Prescott's language : "It is not too much to say that but for the influence exerted by
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Mr. Lawrence on this occasion the treaty, if it had been arranged at all, would never have been brought into the shape which it now wears." Mr. Nathan Appleton in his memoir confirms this statement in the following words : " It is the belief of the writer, who was then in Congress, that to Mr. Lawrence more than to any other individual is due the successful accom- plishment of the negotiation which resulted in the important Treaty of Washington,"
In July, 1843, Mr. Lawrence, accompanied by his wife and daughter, embarked from Boston for England in the steamer "Columbia." The following day they were wrecked on Black Ledge, near Seal Island. After a week's detention on the island, they were transported to Halifax whence they proceeded on their voyage.
Mr. Lawrence's reputation had preceded him. He was received in England with marked attention, and the hospitality of many distinguished and influential people was extended to him.
In 1844 he was a delegate to the Whig National Convention and one of the electors at large for the State of Massachusetts. He was an ardent sup- porter of Henry Clay for the Presidency and deeply disappointed on his defeat.
In 1845 the Essex Company was organized and Mr. Lawrence was its president and the first and largest subscriber to its stock. The city of Lawrence, incor- porated as a town in 1847, was named for him.
Most justly has it been said : " The broad compre- hension, unwavering faith and large capacity of Ab- bott Lawrence should never be forgotten by dwellers in the city that bears his name."
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In 1846 Mr. Lawrence addressed to the Hon. Wm. C. Rives, of Virginia, his celebrated letters on the tariff. Mr. Webster wrote to Mr. Lawrence from Washington : "Your letters to Mr. Rives have a very great circulation, as you are aware, and are highly praised by intelligent men. The second of them will form the substratum of what I propose to say (if I say anything) on the tariff subject." "These letters attracted much attention in all parts of the country and especially in Virginia, where they were re-printed and commented upon at length in the leading news- papers. So deep was the impression made in that State by them, and such a spirit of enterprise did they enkindle, that some of the leading citizens invited him to come and establish a manufacturing town at the Great Falls of the Potomac. This appeal on the part of a sister State for co-operation and leadership in the development of its industry and capital was a remarkable recognition and tribute to the ability and character of Mr. Lawrence. . .. But vast interests were at stake nearer home, and he could not allow himself to be diverted from this work by the projected enterprise on the shores of the Potomac, no matter how alluring the promise of results both to himself and to others."
Mr. Hill in his Memoir thus spoke of Mr. Law- rence : " His character, in all respects that of the pure New England type, was peculiarly so in the love and zeal which he always manifested in the cause of popular education. .. . We have an illustration of this in the letters written by him when he established the Lawrence prizes in the High and Latin Schools
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of Boston, (1844-45) giving to each the sum of $2000 -using his own language-the interest to be expended in medals, books, and other prizes among those pupils who may excel in the various branches of learning which are taught in those schools." In a like spirit he aided in the endowment of the Franklin Library at Lawrence which also received a bequest of $5000 at his death.
For several years he had felt (to use his own words) " the pressing want in our community (and in the whole country) of an increased number of men educated in the practical sciences." "He was satisfied," says Mr. Prescott, "that, however liberal the endowments of that institution " (Harvard University) " for objects of lib- eral culture, no adequate provision had been made for instruction in science." When, therefore, the Corpo- ration of the University announced its purpose of or- ganizing a school of theoretical and practical science, he responded by a gift in 1847 of fifty thousand dollars. In recognition of his munificence the institution was named the Lawrence Scientific School. Soon after its establishment, Professor Agassiz was appointed to the chair of Zoology and Geology. Mr. Lawrence en- dowed the school with a further like sum by his will.
Mr. Lawrence was a leader in the movement to supply the city of Boston with an abundance of pure water. He attended several public meetings held to promote that object, and made speeches in support of it. One of them may be found in full in " Hill's Me- moir" of him. The project met with the strongest opposition. The first act of the Legislature (passed March, 1845) authorizing the city to take water from 16
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either Long Pond or Charles River was rejected at the polls by a large majority, but a second act, such had been the change in public opinion only eleven months later, was accepted by a still larger majority. Water was brought into the city from Long Pond in October, 1848, and Mr. Lawrence lived to see all his predictions more than verified.
In the Presidential canvass of 1848 the name of Mr. Lawrence was prominently associated for the office of Vice-President with that of General Taylor for Presi- dent, and at the convention in Philadelphia he wanted but six votes of being nominated for that office. This result was owing to the peculiar and unexpected course of some of the delegates from his own State. He, however, heartily sustained the nomination of Taylor and Fillmore. Immediately after the inaugu- ration of General Taylor, Mr. Lawrence was offered a seat in his Cabinet, but declined it ; soon after he was nominated to the mission to England, which he accepted. After serving three years his private affairs obliged him to return, and in October, 1852, he resigned. No minister from the United States was ever more respected or left behind him a more envia- ble reputation. The Rev. John Cumming, in dedicat- ing the American edition of his " Apocalyptic Sketches " to Mr. Lawrence, says: "I regard this as an opportunity of expressing a conviction shared and felt by the good and great of this country how much they appreciated your presence in London, as the representative of your magnificent nation, and how deeply,-I may add universally,-they regretted your departure. We never had so popular a minister from
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America or one who has done so much to leave last- ing and elevated impressions of his countrymen."
After his return from England, Mr. Lawrence held no public position, though he still maintained a warm interest in public affairs. He vigorously opposed the new State Constitution of 1853 and made numerous speeches against it ; but with this exception and his efforts in the " canvass for General Scott as President, he took no active part in politics. He showed the same zeal as ever in the cause of education, and watched with the deepest interest over the rising for- tunes of the Scientific School which he had founded at Cambridge."
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