Entrepreneurs and conservationists collaborate at Groton’s Gibbet Hill  

The verdant pastures of Gibbet Hill in Groton were first settled in 1645. The lush countryside remained virtually untouched for over three centuries. But in 2000, the land narrowly escaped being turned into an unsightly housing development. To avoid the calamity, local investors and conservationists joined forces in a novel solution. The result was a lucrative restaurant business that blends seamlessly into an expansive preservation area.

The Gibbet Hill property is located off of Lowell Street, across from Lawrence Academy. The graceful white house that John Lawrence built in 1690 still marks the entrance.  Over the centuries, the land changed hands a number of times, but it always retained a rural character. In 1906, Groton native General William Bancroft, head of Boston Elevated Railroad and mayor of Cambridge, started to build a large retirement home at the top of Gibbet Hill. He modeled his house after a castle, but was unable to complete it when he fell short of funds.