Worcester Massachusetts History

The Worcester area was originally inhabited by the Nipmuck Native American tribe. When the first settlers began to arrive in the area around 1674, the Nipmuck’s succeeded in driving them away and many years passed before more settlers arrived. In 1715 three families of settlers came to the area and in spite of the Nipmuck raids, were successful in establishing a permanent settlement. Over the next two years more settlers arrived and for the next 100 years the settlement grew and prospered.

In 1826 community leaders decided that a canal was needed to connect Worcester and Providence, Rhode Island and Irish immigrant workers arrived to build the canal. The canal was completed in 1828, but due to freezing temperatures in the winter and summer droughts, it was never successful. The first railroad came to town in 1835 and over the next decade Worcester became a center of a network of railroads solving the transportation problem that inhibited the city’s industrial growth. In 1848, Worcester officially became a city and Mechanics Hall was constructed to host industrial conventions and meetings. The Civil War brought hard times when over 3900 men left the city to fight for the Union, but following the war, European immigrants began to settle in Worcester in record numbers and industrial growth resumed. By the early 1900s the city was crowded and had significant infrastructure problems. The stock market collapse in 1919 again brought years of struggle to Worcester, but World War II proved to be a catalyst for reviving the economy with Worcerster industries fillings orders for the war.

Over the years, Worcester has boasted several firsts in America. The birth control pill was developed by the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology. The first radio station to play a Beatles song was WORC in Worcester and Harvey Ball designed the famous yellow Smiley Face in Worcester in 1963. On December 3, 1999 a four-alarm fire broke out in the warehouse district and cost the lives of six Worcester firefighters, known as the “Worcester Six.” Following the tragedy, new efforts began to revitalize the city and improve building construction and safety. Today, Worcester is one of the fastest growing areas in the state and is ranked twenty-fifth in the nation for its size in terms of current population and economic growth.