124 NATURAL HISTORY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF GROTON, MASS. 



and Nahum, Jr. It was taken down about i860, having for 

 several years previously fallen into disuse. 



Eleazer Gilson appears to have been a large owner of mill- 

 property at an early period in the history of Groton. He 

 bought of Isaac Parker, December 7, 1726, a saw-mill situated 

 on Mulpus Brook, as recorded in the Middlesex Registry of 

 Deeds (XXVI. 336). In modern times he would have made 

 his mark as an extensive manufacturer or a railroad magnate. 



During my boyhood there was a mill for grinding and 

 sawing at West Groton, — or Squannacook Village, as it was 

 then called ; but this was taken down many years ago. It was 

 first built by John Tarbeil, the father of the late Colonel Abel 

 Tarbell, who died on October 19, i860, at the advanced age of 

 86 years. John died on September 9, 1802, aged 79. A mill 

 for the manufacture of leather-board now occupies the site. 



There was also another mill for grinding and sawing, where 

 the Hollingsworth paper-mills now stand, on the Great Road 

 north of the village. At the end of the eighteenth century 

 it was owned by John Capell, but it disappeared a long time 

 ago, in order to make way for the new buildings. Both these 

 grist-mills, last mentioned, are given on Dr. Prescott's plan 

 of 1794. 



BILLERICA BRIDGE. 



At an early period in our colonial history the travel from 

 Groton to Boston went by a circuitous route through Chelms- 

 ford and Billerica, where there was a bridge over the Con- 

 cord River, built by several towns, — of which Groton was 

 one, — and supported jointly by them for many years. The 

 Reverend Henry Allen Hazen, in his "History of Billerica" 

 (p. 98), says that the town of Groton paid toward the repairs 

 of the bridge in the year 1665 the sum of ^^3 14^-. 'jd. out of 

 a total of ;!^2i 2s. 2d. — probably the first assessment paid by 

 the town, though there is no allusion to the matter in the 

 town-records, which are not entirely complete at this period. 

 On March 12, 1665-6, the Selectmen of Chelmsford gave 



