~ The Lake That Never Was - Fort Meadow ~

A story compiled and written by John Buczek

When the proprietors first came to Marlbrow in 1657 and started seeking grants of land, some of them received grants in what was known as "The Meadows".

In 1660  "at a meeting of the Inhabitants & Proprietors of this Towne on the 2d & 3d daies of ye x month"   John Barrett was granted 14 acres and John Howe Sr. granted to Obadiah Ward 6 acres of Fort Meadow lands.  The name Fort Meadow, according to history, came from a small fort located near by in the very early years of the settlement, possibly even before the town was incorporated.  All meadow lands in the surrounding area were designated by name.

"At a meeting of the Inhabitants & Proprietors of this Towne the 2d & 3d daies of ye x month 1660"

"It is agreed , conclud'd & ord'rd That ye Meadows of this Towne shall bee divided into Squadrons, & so laid out as may lye most convenient to every mans Habitation Inn Mann'r follo"

There were four divisions of Meadow grants

"ffirst Devission"

Angular Meadow, Hawke Meadow, White Meadow, Richards Meadow, Castle Meadow, Long Meadow, Lleand Meadow, Rock Lland Meadow, Dows ffotte Meadow, Handkerchief Meadow and Stony Brook Meadow

"Second Devission"

Stonny Brook Meadow, New Pond Meadow, South Meadow, Tobacco Meadow, Home Meadow , Crane Meadow, Cedar Meadow and Double Pond Meadow

"Third Devission"

Three Corner Meadow, Double Rock Meadow, Stirrup Brook Meadow, Nonsuch Meadow, upon Assibath Meadow and Mil Ham Meadow

"Fourth Devission"

upon Assibath River, Pond Meadow, ffflag Meadow, Patch Meadow and fffort Meadow.

As you can see, there were many "meadows" and we can recognize some of them at this time.  Fort Meadow, Crane Meadow and Cedar Meadow come to mind for they are areas of Marlborough currently named as such.  The possibility that Stirrup Meadow as being part of Northborough  where Stirrup Brook now flows exists.

Where have all the Meadows gone?.

We do know that Fort Meadow exists today  but not in the same form as it was in the early days of the Marlborough Proprietors.

Fort Meadow may have looked like this when the early settlers arrived, a large field of grasses and wetlands with a brook meadering through it.
 

The Map of 1803 shows Fort Meadow as the early Proprietors saw it.  A vast meadow land covered with grasses and a brook flowing through it. This meandering brook was an offshoot of the "Elizabeth River".  It is curious that the early Proprietors refer to "Assbath River" in 1660 yet the map of 1803 shows clearly that the river was named "Elizabeth" and a map of Marlborough drawn in 1835 continues to call it the "Elizabeth" and indicates the brook as "Fort Meadow Brook".  What is more curious is that of a map of Marlborough drawn in 1667, just seven years after the granting of land, that the river was called the ""Elsabeth".  Finally, to add to the confusion, a map drawn in 1794 shows the river as "Assabet".  It was, obviously, some time after 1835 that the river was given her final original  name, the "Assabet".

The 1803 map section above shows the area covered by the meadow called Fort Meadow.
The large star indicates the location of the saw mill which was once a grist mill.
The small star indicates the Uriah Maynard house which was designated as a garrison.
The penciled in street names and the area designated as Fort Meadow was added to the map.

All that aside, we know that the "Elizabeth" or the "Assabet" river was fed by the brook known as Fort Meadow  Brook which is why Fort Meadow Reservoir exists today.

Before the Plantation known as  Marlbrow  came, the Native American had exclusive rights to all of the lands of over six hundred thousand acres, land that stretched from Sudbury west to New York and all the areas North and South .  The Natives spent much time hunting and fishing the areas we now occupy.

It has been told that the Indian would come to the meadow and set up camp, using it as a base camp to for their hunts.  The meadow was an ideal place to camp, it was an open area where many teepees could be set up and with a brook running close by for water and washing, there was plenty of woods surrounding so as fire wood could be found easily.  More importantly it was open enough so as no enemy could sneak up and attack them.  It was a safe place and afforded all of the needs of the foraging men.
 

The Native American people most prevalent in this area was the Nipmuc. The Nipmuc settled on Ockoogangansett Hill - "at the plantation" or "plowed fields place", the village of "Praying Indians", the Ockoogamesets were a small Nipmuc band in Marlborough.  The Nipmuc Indian was originally located in Central Massachusetts, Northern Rhode Island and Northeastern Connecticut, they may have numbered more than 15,000 people before first contact with Europeans. After epidemics due to the diseases brought into their villages by Europeans and casualties and migrations to other tribes due to King Philip's war, this number was reduced by some estimates to perhaps 3,000 people by the late 17th century.  About 2,000 Nipmuc were confined to "praying Indian" villages supervised by Puritan missionaries in remote New England locations.  Marlbrow was known as one of the "Praying Villages"

Once the "White Man" took possession of the area, Fort Meadow no longer became the safe place it once was.  Large homes where built and eventually designated as "Garrisons" or a place to go to in case of Indian attacks. One of these garrisons still stands today and it is located on the corner of Stevens Street and Hosmer Street.  There were also others; No. 9 - Samuel Morrell's (near Fort Meadow) served the families of Sergeant Barrett, John Barnes, Benjamin Bageley, Joseph Ward, Joshua Rice, Thomas Martin and Samuel Bush and  No. 22 - Mill's (near Hudson which was Feltonville) served the families of Thomas Barrett and John Banister.

The home to the left is that garrison which stands to.  Click on image to see larger image. Use back arrow to return here.

In addition to these garrisons, Calvin Maynard built a grist mill at the mouth of Fort Meadow Brook which is shown on the map of 1794.  The grist mill was eventually converted to a saw mill and was eventually operated by Isaac Maynard.  Isaac's son Amory Maynard was born in the northeast part of Marlborough, at the foot of Fort Pond, February 28, 1804.

He left school at the age of fourteen to enter the sawmill which was owned by his father Isaac and when his father died, Amory was just sixteen years of age,  he took charge of the business carrying it on successfully.  It was the establishment of the original mill and the building of a dam, both of which were located at the end of what is now known as Hosmer Street, that started the creation of a small pond.  As time went on the pond grew and covered much of the area once known as "fffort Meadow."
 
 

It was about the year 1847 when the City of Boston approached Amory Maynard with an offer to purchase the rights to the land and now small lake.  The compensation of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to Amory was largest made, at that time, by the City of Boston for water rights.  By 1848 the small pond was now a large lake.  It was in 1858 when the City of Boston determined that they no longer needed this site and sold it back to Armory  for eight thousand dollars.

The picture to the left shows Fort Meadow in the early 1900's.  Click on picture to see larger image, use back arrow to return here.
 

It was at the end of the nineteenth century that the lake, now a reservoir, was no longer used as source of drinking water.  In 1953 Amory Maynard's successors, the American Woolen Company, sold thirteen acres of land at the southeast end of the lake to the City of Marlborough for the sum of one thousand dollars. This 13 acre waterfront  was officially named the World War II Memorial Beach or as we call it today, "Memorial Beach".
 

Click on picture to see larger image.  Use back arrow to return here.
 

Today Fort Meadow, as we know it, occupies approximately three hundred and eight acres of land.  It's shores are now dotted with homes and at one time vacation cottages.  Much of the South shore was developed in the 1930's and 1940's for a lakeshore cottage community, and the building of new year round homes on what is known as Lakeshore Drive in Hudson commenced.

The above pictures are of Fort Meadow today.  The first picture was taken from the boat ramp looking East.  The second picture was taken from the westerly side of the Causeway at the new Recreation Area and the canoe ramp.  To see a larger image, click on pictures.  Use your back arrow to return here.

So ends the making of a lake or reservoir that never was.

Where we now play, swim and boat, once roamed the Native American.  He stood on the ground, now covered by water, setting up his teepee's and prepared to hunt for food.  Where he once stood and drank the water of the small brook, we now play.

Ahhh… the ways of our ancestors where mysterious, how did they know that in the year 1900 and beyond, that the land they stole would be put to such good use……..

The least we could do is erect a memorial to the Native American acknowledging that they once were here. Maybe the weed problem would go away.  At this website the acknowledgment is now proclaimed.................

In Recognition of the
Praying Indians of Marlbrow
Below these waters
When Fort Meadow was a Meadow
Once stood the Nipmuc Indian
Setting up his camp in preparation for
Hunting and fishing for his survival
ca 1657

Sources:

Map of  Marlborough 1667 surveyed by Samuel Andrews
Map of  Marlborough 1794 surveyed by Andrew Peters
Map of  Marlborough 1803 surveyed by Silas Holman
Map of  Marlborough 1835 surveyed by William H. Wood
Early Records of Marlborough - NEHGR
Historical Narrative - Massachusetts Historical Commission
Various other sources

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