MAWORCES-L Archives

From: "Don Finel" <>
Subject: [MAWORCES] Re; Worcester, MA
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 08:11:39 -0700

one possible answer,,


>From http://ci.worcester.ma.us/history.htm



The Nipmuc people were living in the region when the first European settlers
arrived in the 1670s and created a community they called Quinsigamond
Plantation. The community was renamed Worcester in 1684, possibly for
Worcester, England, as an angry gesture at King Charles II of England, who
had suffered defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Hostility from the
Nipmuc twice forced the abandonment of the settlement; the first permanent
colonization came in 1713. Incorporated as a town in 1722, major industrial
development began after the opening of the Blackstone Canal in 1828, linking
Worcester with Providence, Rhode Island. Worcester was incorporated as a
city in 1848.

Worcester played an important role in the political development of the United
States. During the American Revolution (1775-1783), it was home to
pamphleteer Isaiah Thomas, whose words helped unite opposition to the
British. The city was active in Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787), a revolt
against excessive land taxation that helped spur the creation of the
Constitution of the United States. Residents were also early supporters of
reform movements such as the abolition of slavery in the United States. The
first national women's rights convention was held in Worcester in 1850.



Don in Wash. state

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• [MAWORCES] Re; Worcester, MA by "Don Finel" <>