Historical Figures

Just shy of a century ago, a man named Robert Hawkins bought a 160-acre plot of land in Stow and its adjoining mansion at the site.

Hawkins then opened Mapledale Country Club in 1926, making it the first Black-owned golf course in New England and one of the first in the nation. Its opening came during an era of racial segregation where Black golfers were barred from some country clubs.

Harriet Tubman (c. 1822–1913) was an American abolitionist, Underground Railroad conductor, and Civil War scout. Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland, she escaped to freedom in 1849 and subsequently risked her life on roughly 13 missions to rescue around 70 enslaved family members and friends.