As part of New London Plantation, Groton was settled in 1646 by John Winthrop, the younger, and a band of Puritans from Massachusetts. The town separated from New London in 1705 and was named for the Winthrop manor in England. One of the last battles of the American Revolution was fought on Groton Heights at Fort Griswold on September 6, 1781, and a state park now preserves the fort area. Groton is the site of the Submarine Base of the United States Navy, home of the builder of much of the Navy’s undersea fleet, and the birthplace of the nuclear submarine.

Photo: Don Morfe