Groton Map
Groton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse Trials, an equestrian competition.
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.
The Anglo-American Groton started with the trading post of John Tinker, who conducted business there with the Nipmuc Indians at the confluence of Nod Brook and the Nashua River. The Nipmuc 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.
Nearby cities include Leominster, Fitchburg, Nashua, Hudson, South Lancaster.