THE GEOGRAPHY OF GROTON. 55 



the Great Road runs. It also gave the name to a tavern for- 

 merly kept in the immediate neighborhood. 



Rocky Hill — there are two hills of this name, one lying 

 northeasterly of Baddacook Pond, near the old District School- 

 house No. VIII. (now the Trowbridge School), which is also 

 known as the Rocky Hill School ; and the other situated in 

 the southeast part of the town, between Long Pond and the 

 Ridges. A visit to either of these hills will show why it was 

 so called. 



Sand Hill — a small elevation on the road to East Pep- 

 perell, below the Longley monument, near the place where 

 the Nashua road branches off. 



SHEPLEY Hill — lies west of the East Pepperell road, near 

 Naumox. The name is rarely heard now, though it was in 

 use as far back as February 28, 1670, — evidently so called 

 from the Shepley family. 



SNAKE HILL — in the south part of the town, but lies 

 mostly in Ayer. Rattlesnakes have been killed on it within 

 the memory of the present generation. 



The Throne — a high hill in the western part of the town, 

 — on the summit of which is a level field of perhaps sixty 

 acres, containing a small pond, — near the Townsend line. 

 A map of Groton resembles a tea-kettle, the portion west of 

 the Nashua River forming the spout ; and the Throne comes 

 in the spout. 



MEADOWS. 



The early settlers of Groton, according to the town-records, 

 had many parcels of meadow allotted to them in the assign- 

 ment of land. Sergeant James Parker owned in twenty differ- 

 ent meadows, and the other settlers also were large owners. 

 It is probable that they did not attach the same signification 

 to the word " meadow " which now belongs to it in New Eng- 

 land, where it means low, swampy land, without regard to the 



