More than 300 years ago, 25 men from the neighboring towns of Sudbury, Marlborough, and Stow crossed over the hills to a wide expanse of rolling hills and valleys crossed by countless brooks, each pouring into the river's tranquil current that wound its way into the sea. It is little cause for wonder that these pioneers petitioned to the General Court of the New England Colonies in 1685 to appoint them proprietors of the rich territory that would become Maynard. As the settlement grew, industry prospered along the river: first a gristmill, then a paper mill, and later a carpet mill, which eventually turned into a very large woolen mill. The settlers again petitioned the court to establish their own town rather than being inhabitants of the Town of Stow or Sudbury, depending on which side of the river one lived. The courts granted permission in 1871 and the new Town of Maynard exploded to become the home of the largest woolen mill in New England. A century later, it became the headquarters of Digital Equipment Corporation and would come to be known as the Minicomputer Capital of the World.