“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” — Albert Einstein
Why is Worcester called Worcester?
The origin of the name Worcester for the Massachusetts settlement cannot be established with certainty. It was likely adopted from the English city of Worcester, perhaps because one or more members of the committee responsible for establishing the town had ties to that city. Another possibility is that the name reflects the influence of Daniel Gookin, whose life connected both England and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. According to Henry’s England (Vol. II, p. 538), the name Worcester is derived from the Saxon Wegera-ceaster, meaning “war castle,” a reference to the military character of the ancient settlement from which the name originated.
In England, only one city bears the name Worcester. The city, the county town of Worcestershire, stands on the banks of the River Severn. By 1824, it had a population of approximately 20,000 and was known for its thriving glove industry and the manufacture of fine porcelain. It held three market days each week and returned two members to Parliament.
Worcester also occupies an important place in English history as the site of the decisive Battle of Worcester in 1651, where Oliver Cromwell defeated the future Charles II, effectively ending the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
Who was Daniel Gookin?
Daniel Gookin (1612–1687) was a Major General of Mass Bay Colony and is considered to be the Founder of Worcester.
In 1665, the attention of the General Court was brought to the rich lands in the vicinity of Lake Quinsigamond, which Rev. John Eliot had already visited. A committee on which Daniel Gookin served was appointed to view the land and to report “whether it be capable of making a village, and what number of families may be there accommodated, and if they find it fit for a plantation.” In the report of this committee made October 20, 1668, the “good chestnut tree” and meadow land was recommended. The General Court accepted this report and appointed Captain Gookin of Cambridge, Daniel Henchman of Boston, Thomas Prentice of Woburn, and Lieutenant Richard Beers of Watertown to plan for a settlement.
After purchasing the eight square miles of land from the Nipmucks for “twelve pounds lawful money,” lots were assigned, and the actual settlement began in 1673. Lots were given to Captains Gookin, Henchman, Prentice, and Lieutenant Beers. Houses were built and then the work suddenly ceased, owing to the outbreak of King Philip’s War. All of the buildings erected by the settlers were burned, and Lieutenant Beers was killed in the fight. The settlement was deserted.
A second attempt was made in 1685, and Captain John Wing was appointed to fill the place made vacant by the death of Lieutenant Beers. On the petition of Captains Gookin, Henchman, Prentice, and Wing, the settlement was named Worcester. This second settlement was destined to be even as disastrous as the first because of Indian outbreaks during King William’s War (1689–1697). Worcester was deserted until Jonas Rice would return in 1713—the date of the third and successful settlement of Worcester.
Is the Armor hanging in City Hall from the Battle of Worcester in 1651?
The two suits of armor are perched high on the wall on either side of the central staircase in City Hall. Each of the suits of armor consist of a breastplate, a backplate, tassets and a helmet with a down-turned brim. The armor was worn by two infantrymen in 1651 in the Battle of Worcester in England. The soldiers were pikemen, who wore light half-suits of armor for protection against swords and pikes. They were fighting on the side of the young, brash King Charles II, who was living in exile and had set his cap on recapturing England from the clutches of Oliver Cromwell and his Parliamentarians. Cromwell and his battle-hardened soldiers beat back the challenge.
Two suits of armor in Worcester City Hall were a gift from Worcester, England, to Worcester, Massachusetts. The armor was said to have been associated with the soldiers of King Charles II at the Battle of Worcester on September 3, 1651, during the English Civil War. The gift was formally presented to Worcester Mayor James Logan on November 6, 1908, by Colonel Albert Webb, representing the corporation of Worcester, England.
see Samuel Swett Green’s book from 1908 for the full story, ‘Worcester England and Worcester Mass‘ [F74.W9 G9]
Was bypassing the Mass Pike (East-West Toll Road) around Worcester a Political move?
The answer is yes—but not in the way many people assume. The Massachusetts Turnpike was not deliberately kept out of Worcester. The major political controversy was over where the Turnpike and related expressways would run through or around the city. The major political battles centered on how Worcester would connect to the Turnpike and whether additional expressways would cut through the city. Those debates became intensely political and reflected competing visions of Worcester’s future.
- Worcester business leaders generally supported the Turnpike because they believed better highway access would attract industry and shoppers.
- Neighborhood residents and some local politicians opposed proposed expressways because they would destroy homes, businesses, and established neighborhoods.
- The biggest political battles concerned proposed urban expressways connecting the Turnpike with downtown Worcester and other highways, rather than the Turnpike itself.
- State officials, highway planners, business interests, and neighborhood groups had competing priorities.
- The eventual result was the Mass Pike along Worcester’s southern edge, with I-290 and I-190 providing additional access.
- Thus, the idea that Worcester politicians simply “prevented the Mass Pike from coming into Worcester” is misleading. The historical issue was primarily a political struggle over highway routing, urban redevelopment, neighborhood preservation, and Worcester’s economic future.
What was the first commercial pizza-pie mix?
The first invention of a pizza mix that could be cooked at home was not called Appian Way. The first commercial pizza-pie mix, was named “Roman Pizza Mix,” and it was produced in Worcester, Massachusetts by Frank A. Fiorello.
In 1948, Worcester’s Frank Fiorillo inspired people to make their own fresh pizza at home. His Roman Pizza Mix was the first commercial pizza-pie mix in a box. Frank invented the mix at age 23 when working in a pizza shop on Lake Ave. He was fascinated by the heavy demand for “pizza right out of the oven”. He started making the boxed mix in his parents living room and distributed to a few local stores. Each box contained mix, dry yeast and cheese and tomato sauce. All you had to do was add water. The boxed pizza mix was so successful, Frank retired at age 25.
Food Specialties, Inc. was established in 1952 and its principal product was Appian Way pizza mix. About 1960 the company moved to a new plant in Worcester. Robert Price and Humphrey Nash were principal partners, Herb Smith was CFO, Henry Saleson head of sales. The Price family believes the name “Appian Way” came from Mr. Prices love of antiquities.
Was Elm Park the first public park in America?
No. There seem to be two strands of confusion regarding this issue:
1) People have misunderstood the inscription on the park gates and taken it to mean that Elm Park was the first public park in the US.
2) The inscription says that it was the first purchase of land specifically for the purpose of creating a public park, but this may not actually be the case either
The City of Worcester government website says that the land for Elm Park was purchased in 1854 specifically for a park (originally known as ‘New Common’) “thus making Worcester one of the first cities in the United States to expend public funds to purchase land for use as a public park.”
A 2013 T&G article clarifies some of the confusion between local lore and the park gate inscription, which actually says it was the “first purchase of land for a public park in the United States.” (italics mine) The article states: “Elm Park was not the first public park in the United States. In fact, there are several other contenders for that title.”An article by Evelyn Herwitz explains that even the inscription could be stretching the truth: “Purchased by the city from Governor Levi Lincoln and John Hammond for $11,257.50 on March 20, 1854, the park is distinguished as one of the first, if not the first, pieces of land purchased by a municipality for the explicit purpose of creating a public park. Worcester used to assert that Elm Park was the first such land purchase for a public park in the nation. In particular, citizens in Hartford, Conn., voted to approve a plan by the Reverend Horace Bushnell to create a park in the center of town on January 5, 1854, and the contracts for land purchase were executed shortly after. Clearly, Worcester and Hartford were within months, if not weeks of each other in buying public park land.”
History of various dairy farms in and around Worcester.
http://www.holdenhistory.org/holden_dairies.htm
http://elmhurstdairyfarms.com/our-story.html
https://patch.com/massachusetts/westborough/bp–boston-worcester-railroad-milk-train
https://archive.org/stream/massachusettsfou00mass/massachusettsfou00mass_djvu.txt