50 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
I
n the 1950s, the Federal Reserve
Bank studied New England's loss of
textile and manufacturing jobs, due
to outsourcing overseas, and suggests
that the region should turn to high-
value-added industries that drew on its
educational and intellectual resources.
Many manufacturers who in the previous
century had been a significant part of
Worcester's home-grown economy found
themselves in a changed environment that
became a pitched battle between the old and the
new.
The Royal Worcester Corset Co., founded in
1861 produced items as varied as hoop skirts,
girdles, and of course corsets, until the corset
e shock of the new
went out of fashion. It changed its name to
the Royal Worcester Co. in 1949 and closed in
1950.
By 1955, the year that the National
Geographic heralded Worcester's industrial
prowess, outsourcing of major manufacturing
enterprises had already begun. Post World War
II prosperity disguised this trend until the late
1960s.
Wartime production (particularly World War
II) provided the type of industry that could
not be readily outsourced. Once that heavy
equipment was installed, it stayed put. Then,
the issue of wartime security, where 'Made in
USA' was the lingua franca of the military.
In a plot twist worthy of writer O. Henry,
the automobile first boosted the fortunes of
Worcester's manufacturers, and then provided
means to exodus to the city's suburbs.
Wyman-Gordon Co., which produced the
Turning plowshares into
swords and then back again
The main stitching room of the Royal Worcester Corset Company circa 1880. After a lengthy run that
supplied the changing fashion trends of the day, the company would close in 1950.
IMAGE | WORCESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY
By 1955,
the year that
the National
Geographic
heralded
Worcester's
industrial
prowess,
outsourcing
of major
manufacturing
enterprises
had already
begun.
1922-2021
