SUTTON

A short history of Sutton

A Nipmuc, John Wampas, visited England in 1627 and deeded land in the Sutton area to Edward Pratt, who later sold interests to others. Competing claims involving the Nipmucs led to a Massachusetts General Court case in 1704, which granted Pratt and fellow proprietors an eight-mile-square section of land, which is now Sutton.

Three families were the first to settle in Sutton, namely those of Elisha Johnson, Nathaniel Johnson, and Benjamin Marsh, who is credited as a founder of the town and the First Baptist Church of Sutton. In 1717, The Great Snow completely buried structures their home cabins. According to accounts, a local Indigenous person rescued the Johnson family by noticing smoke from their chimney through the snow. Marsh served in several capacities for the town including as a selectman and moderator. He also served as elder and pastor from 1737 until his death in 1775.

By 1735, area inhabited by Hassanamisco Nipmuc and a small portion of the northeastern Sutton had incorporated as the town of Grafton. In 1813, the northern part of Sutton became Millbury.

In 1737, the Edward Putnam House, one of the oldest homes in Sutton, was built by its namesake and cousin of the military officer Rufus Putnam. The house is featured on the town seal.

Since 1962, the Pleasant Valley Country Club has hosted a number of notable Professional Golfers' Association of America tournaments such as the Booz Allen Classic, the Lady Carling Eastern Open, and the New England Classic. The 1968-67 and 1970-74 Women's PGA Championship took place at Pleasant Valley. From 1965 to 1973, golfer Paul Harney worked there.

Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Sutton, Massachusetts, revision 1380456565 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.