GROTON MA

GROTON MA

Smith Social Pavilion

Groton Town Field

Built - 2001

The town of Groton came to being when John Tinker followed Indian trails from the Bay Area and settled near the mouth of the Nod Brook. Here he set up a trading post to do business with the local Nashaway Indian tribe. At that time, the area had been known as "Petapawag." an Indian name for "swampy land." Soon after, adventuresome families joined Mr. Tinker in the area finding the land excellent for farming and fishing.

In 1655, the prosperous trading post evolved into a thriving formal settlement called the Plantation of Groton named in honor of the original selectman in the area, Dean Winthrop, who was born in Groton, Suffolk County, England. As the population continued to grow, so did supporting industries which included a soapstone quarry, a large hop-grinding mill, a brick factory, a sawmill, a grist mill and a pewter mill which produced tea pots, plates, cups and buttons.

The Lost Lake area was created at the turn of the 20th century after a nearby stream was dammed with nearby flooding of an existing field which created a very popular summer resort for residents and today continues to be a popular place to visit for permanent and summer residents in the area.

The Smith Social Pavilion was built in 2001 and dedicated on October 13th on the Groton Town Field/Lawrence Playground with the Groton Town Band and Groton High School Concert Band with a chorus of residents baptizing the new bandstand.

The structure was a philanthropic gift of a 91-year old former town resident, Donald Smith and his wife Esther. The bandstand is the first the town has had with no real problems existing during construction although a few of the neighbors around the first two proposed sites vetoed the plans to have the bandstand built on either one.

INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY:
Jeffrey Pike, Technology Services Librarian
Groton Public Library