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14 W o r c e s t e r 3 0 0 : C i t y o f I n n o v a t o r s Upon his death his fortune was estimated by one oerver to be at least $500,000, making him the richest man in the county and many suppe much more. He died without a will and his son Stephen Salisbury II inherited his estate. A premier street in Worcester is named aer him and his two succeeding generations. But Boston-born Stephen Salisbury I (1746-1829) wasn't a home- grown Worcester scion. It was his older brother Samuel (1739-1818) who asked Stephen to move from Boston to Worcester to open a branch of S & S Salisbury, the Boston-based family import business, which he did in 1767. e business continued in operation until about 1815. S & S Salisbury imported hardware and merchan- dise from England and the West Indies, with goods ranging from rum to bar iron. One could say that he was the Spag Borgatti of his day. Stephen's ability to cater to individuals as well as to other merchants was an early example of business-to-cus- tomer, rather than exclusively business-to-business. Addition- ally, he was a charter member of the Worcester Fire Society from 1793 to 1829, one of six corpo- rators of the Worcester Bank in 1804, and a member of the Worcester Agricultural Society from 1818 to 1829. Stephen made Worcester his permanent home when in 1771 he had built what is now the Salisbury Mansion. e growing town provided ample competi- tion to Salisbury, including rival merchants John Chandler and Daniel Waldo Sr. (who would marry Stephen Salisbury I's sister Rebecca). e Revolutionary War would create a conflict between commerce and politics that endangered safety, business, and personal property for all. Stephen I was a Whig and served on several committees during the American Revolu- tion, during which a boycott of British goods ensued in the colonies. Stephen refused to carry British import goods that competitors did. e conflict escalated along with the Revolutionary War and both Stephen and Samuel, in their correspondence, oen expressed concern for each other's safety. Stephen Salisbury I weathered the war and managed the Worcester business well. Upon his death his fortune was estimated by one observer to be at least $500,000, making him the richest man in the county and many suppose much more. He died without a will, and his son and sole surviving heir Stephen II, was named administrator of his estate, inheriting his father's fortune. Stephen II and Stephen Salisbury III aer him would steward it to the benefit of Worcester. — Christina P. O'Neill e richest man in the county Stephen Salisbury I 1722-1821 Salisbury refused to sell out to British commerce Images | Worcesetr Historical Museum