The town forest in Groton was established in 1923
on 180 acres of land. Part of the land was a gift to the town and part of
the town forest was set aside from the town poor farm (Town poor farms 
were a widely
practiced means of welfare throughout New England. Toward the close of the
19th century, responsibility for welfare shifted from towns to county or
state governments, providing the opportunity for communities to retain ownership
of town farm woodlots and convert them to town forest). An additional 245
acres were added over the course of several years. Over 57,000 trees were
planted in the forest.
The forest has been inducted into The Town Forest Hall of Fame because it is the site of the first wildflower sanctuary established in a town forest.
This is what Harris Reynolds, the secretary of the Massachusetts Forestry Assocation, wrote about Groton's Town Forest in The First Quarter Century of the Town Forest in Massachusetts (December 1939):
Groton set aside its town "poor farm" in 1922 as a memorial to the veterans of the World War. Later the area was enlarged by gift to 280 acres, and it is of interest to note that the first wildflower sanctuary was established in this forest by the local garden club. This, however, was destroyed by the floods of 1936-1938.