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Fort Meadow Historical Information
When Marlborough became incorporated
as a town in 1660, many land grants were awarded in an area
then known as "The Meadows." Fort Meadow was one
of the many meadows in this area, supposedly named for a small
fort that was located nearby in the very early years of the
settlement. Fort Meadow appears to have remained as meadowland
for a century and a half, as an 1803 map still shows that
area as an open meadow with a brook (later named Fort Meadow
Brook) running through it. However, this map also shows the
location of a mill on the brook that would soon change the
nature of Fort Meadow dramatically.
In the late 18th century, Calvin Maynard constructed a gristmill
on Fort Meadow Brook near the current town border with Hudson.
The gristmill was soon converted to a sawmill and its operation
was eventually passed on to Isaac Maynard, whose death around
1820 left his young son Amory in charge. The construction
of the mill and a dam on the brook began to create a small
pond, flooding Fort Meadow.
Around the year 1847, the City of Boston purchased the rights
to this small lake and the surrounding land from Amory Maynard
for $150,000, the largest sum that had ever been paid by the
City of Boston for water rights at that time. By 1848 the
pond had already become a large lake, but in 1858 the City
of Boston decided that it no longer required the water from
this site and sold it back to Maynard for $8,000.
By the end of the 19th century the
lake was no longer a source of drinking water. Much of the
lake's south shore was developed as a lakeshore cottage community
in the 1930's and 1940's, and new year-round homes were also
built on Lakeshore Drive in Hudson at that time. Now the shores
are dotted with houses.
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Memorial Beach
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Still known as the Fort Meadow Reservoir despite its disuse
in that function, the lake currently occupies about 308 acres
of land in both Marlborough and Hudson, and both towns have
public beaches on its shores. The 13-acre public waterfront
in Marlborough was purchased by the city in 1953 from Amory
Maynard's successor, the American Woolen Company, and was
officially named the World War II Memorial Beach, although
now it is just called "Memorial Beach." Today the
lake is a popular destination for boating, swimming and other
recreation.
References:
This information was taken from material compiled
by John Buczek of Marlborough in his piece "The Lake
that Never Was--Fort Meadow." He has displayed his work
on his
website, which provides some further information and pictures.
Researched and written for OAR by Joanna Solins. Email comments
or corrections to Sue
Flint.
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