Fort Meadow Deed: From The Marlborough Historical Society Archives

MARLBOROUGH, MA—Since Marlborough was incorporated as a town in 1660, many land grants were awarded in an area known as "The Meadows,"according to this feature on the OARS website.

In 1680, Fort Meadow was deeded from Great James, "an Indian," to Thomas Martin, a shoemaker from Marlborough, for six pounds, ten schillings, according to the Marlborough Historical Society.

The deed, along with a transcription, is available here.

By the end of the 1700s, a man named Calvin Maynard owned land in Fort Meadow and built a gristmill near the brook, which was converted to a sawmill. That was passed down to Isaac Maynard, then to Amory Maynard. Over the years, construction and a brook dam created the small pond that would become Fort Meadow Reservoir.

Read more on the history of the area and the reservoir on OARS.

Photo via Marlborough Historical Society