Claims to fame

 

A bit of housekeeping before we begin. I quoted the Encyclopedia Brittanica's speculation that Groton, Mass., was named to honor the governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony, John Winthrop, because he had been born in the English town of Groton in Suffolk County. 

The history of the town, as published on Groton's website, states that the town's name was intended to honor Dean Winthrop, who was one of the original selectmen for the town, also born in Groton, Suffolk County, England. A brief look at the Internet shows that John Winthrop had a bunch of children, including a Deane by his third wife. By the way, Groton, Connecticut's website mentions that it was named in honor of the Winthrop estate. Don't want to accuse the encyclopedia of anything, but maybe its researchers made a mistake?

Groton began as a trading post to conduct business with the Nashaway Indians. By 1655 it had become the Plantation of Groton, encompassing a larger area than it does now. Some 21 years later, the town was almost destroyed during the King Philip's War mentioned last week and in an earlier post. A number of survivors fled to other towns, with many returning to rebuild two years later. 

Some items I picked up while looking up info about the town include:

-- The town's militia formed part of the defensive forces during the battles of Lexington and Concord, and it was the birthplace of William Prescott, who commanded the forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

-- One item of pride that pops up several times in discussions of Groton is that is the home of two prep schools. Lawrence Academy, which claims to be one of the oldest independent schools in America, was founded in 1793 as the Groton Academy, and John Hancock, then governor of Massachusetts, put his, um, John Hancock on the school's charter. It changed its name much later to honor bequests from brothers Amos and William Lawrence. It started as a co-ed school, became a boys prep school in the early 1900s, and reverted to co-ed status in 1971. 

In a list of the school's first set of trustees, we find the name of  the Rev. William Emerson. This is almost certainly Ralph Waldo Emerson's father. Emerson was pastor in Harvard, Mass., at the time and would go on to become pastor of Boston's First Church. 

The other academy mentioned frequently is Groton Academy. This becomes a bit confusing because Lawrence was originally called Groton. But this second school was founded almost a hundred years later. It serves secondary students and prides itself on its small size -- fewer than 400 students. Heck, my senior high school class was bigger than Groton by more than 200 students. Didn't find any famous names connected to the school, but that doesn't mean there aren't any.

-- One item that caught my eye while researching Groton was Bancroft's Castle (pictured at the top). General William Bancroft served as a soldier, politician and businessman. When he retired in the early 1900s, he decided to build a home in his hometown, specifically on Gibbett Hill. The hill was apparently named because it was the site of public hangings -- the structure for this purpose being called a gibbett. Unfortunately, he ran out of money and only built a bungalow and a tower. He never found the funds to finish the project and sold it 12 years later. 

The buildings became a hospital and then the Groton Hunt Club, site of social events and fox hunts. The structures were damaged as a result of a July 4 fireworks accident in 1932. Now, the castle lies along a hiking trail in a protected area surrounding the hill that's open to the public. Given the castle's appearance and location, ghost stories abound. 

Image: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons