GROTON MILE-STONES. l6l 



brother of Colonel William Prescott, who commanded the 

 American forces at the battle of Bunker Hill ; and two others 

 were set up, probably either by him or at his suggestion, 

 during the same period. They all are of slate ; and the 

 largest stands by the roadside, at the southerly end of the 

 village street, on the easterly side of the way, near the fork of 

 the roads and close by the entrance to Mr. Lawrence Park's 

 estate. The stone is between five and six feet in height, and 

 is shaped somewhat like a capital letter P of colossal size, the 

 upper part being considerably broader than the lower part, 

 though the resemblance is not very close. 



The Charles River Bridge, leading from Boston to Charles- 

 town, was opened on June 17, 1786, and soon became a promi- 

 nent point to people living in Middlesex County. Some vandal 

 has tried to chip off " Esq'" after the initials, but the letters 

 can still be made out. 



The Reverend William Bentley, D.D., of Salem, in his 

 Diary, recently published by the Essex Institute, gives an 

 account of a trip which he made to Dartmouth College in 

 the summer of 1793. On his way there he passed through 

 Groton, and mentions this stone together with other entries 

 in his journal which now are of interest. He writes: 



We dined at Bollan's [in Chelmsford] & paid i^ /, our engagement 

 being to have no charges for the horsemen & his horses, & at | past 3 

 set out for Groton. ... As we entered Westford we saw the best 

 corn, & the best tobacco, & a few small hop yards. Corn being 

 planted in all the farms & a patch of tobacco near many of the barns, 

 & some towns through which we passed are remarkable for hops. 

 . . From the rough roads we passed over several miles of pines iS: 

 sandy land, & soon were relieved with the elegant seat of G. [eneral 

 Oliver] Prescot, & the Buildings of his Son about ^ mile below him. 

 The seat is opposite to the Boston road which at this place enters into 

 the cross road to Worcester. . . . Gen. Prescot house has near it a 

 stone shewing that it is 36 miles to Boston & 30 miles to Worcester. 

 Called at the General's & found an elegant House in good order, but 

 he was not within (ii. 41, 42). 



Another stone, about three feet high, stands in close prox- 

 imity, just beyond the crotch, on the westerly side of the road. 



