Groton has historically found the “ways and means” of supporting and assisting those residents who, for various reasons, lack the ability to provide for themselves or their families.

Taking care of the less fortunate, impoverished and “poor” in Connecticut can be traced back to the 17th century when the state adopted a “Poor Law” to comply with a directive from the British government to ensure care of the poor. A common means of meeting this responsibility was the requirement that each town establish its own almshouse, or poor-farm, which would be under the control of the town’s selectmen.

The residents of these facilities would be provided, at the expense of the town, necessary food, clothing, shelter, medical, burial, and other essential support.

Despite the fact that some readers may consider the use of the words “poor-house” or “poor-farm” to be potentially offensive to a particular group of people, in years gone by aiding those in need was seen as an opportunity for the wealthy to exercise the virtue of charity, just as many organizations and groups do today.

Very little information could be found documenting the history of taking care of the less fortunate or poor in Groton. It was found, however, that on Oct. 18, 1886, Captain Elihu Spicer, a native of Noank then living in Brooklyn, New York, deeded to the Town of Groton, a large [family] farm located on the top of Fort Hill. The deed, transferring a 55-acre parcel of land with two dwelling houses, two barns, a corn crib and out houses stipulated that the properties would be “used by said Town for the benefit, maintenance and support of the poor of said Town and such persons as said Town is or may be by law liable to maintain and support”.

In addition to donating the “poor farm” property to the Town of Groton, Captain Spicer, who was a wealthy and successful businessman, had also provided money to build the Mystic-Noank Library and a small library, as a memorial to his son Uriah, at the Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn. After his death in February 1893, an additional $5,000 was bequeathed to the town by Captain Spicer to support the poor.

Groton maintained the “Spicer Poor Farm,” often referred to as the “Spicer Poor House,” from the late 1880s until 1952, when the then state Welfare Commission advised the town that it was losing money because the number of residents at the 27-room farmhouse had dwindled to three.

Shortly after closing the facilities, the town used a large portion of the land, located on the west side of what is now Groton Long Point Road, to construct its new, campus-style, Robert E. Fitch Senior High School. The school facilities also included a large parking lot and athletic field opened in 1955.

In 1957, some of the former farm buildings were demolished to accommodate the construction of a new public works building. Several of the remaining buildings were also transformed for use by public works.

In 1976, the town began constructing a new police station on farm property located on the east side of Groton Long Point Road. Shortly after construction started, a lawsuit was filed by the State of Connecticut against the town for violating the terms outlined in the original deed.

According to the suit, the new high school, the public works building and the new police station did not directly benefit the “poor.” The town had also failed, as outlined in the deed, to seek the approval of the voters to use the property for purposes other than those outlined in the deed.

A court-stipulated judgment was agreed upon in 1979 wherein the town was required to establish a $196,995 “Elihu Spicer Trust Fund” to benefit the poor in Groton.

Of interest, and related to this article, is the fact that, while the “Poor-Farm” was in operation, a small cemetery was established on the property to bury those who had died while living at the farm and Groton residents who could not afford the cost of a burial.

Burial sites such as this are commonly referred to as a “Potter’s Field” — a place for the burial of unknown or indigent people. The cemetery is located on the west side of Groton Long Point Road on the north side of the driveway to the high school.

A recent visit by this author to the cemetery revealed it to be well cared for. There are 50 burial sites marked with small, stone footstones, numbering from 1 to 50. A large sign at the entrance of the cemetery lists the names of 43 individuals that correspond to the marker numbers.

Today, Groton’s Social Services Department is responsible for providing support and services to individuals and families who are in need of temporary assistance such as housing, food and other basic necessities. Although the Elihu Spicer Trust fund is almost depleted, it has over the years been an important source of revenue to the Social Services Department for providing assistance to those in need in Groton.

The Town of Groton owes a great deal of gratitude to Captain Spicer for his contribution to Groton’s less fortunate.

Jim Streeter is the Groton Town Historian.