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12 City of Worcester: 300 Years Also at this time, discussions focused on the Blackstone Canal, which opened on October 7, 1828, connecting Worcester with Providence and beyond. Dug by hand predominantly by Irish immigrants, the canal was problematic due to the fluctuations in the weather. However, it provided a much faster mode of transportation and allowed goods to move more efficiently and cheaply to and from Worcester County. The canal did not remain the preferred mode of transportation in Worcester for long with the arrival of the Boston & Worcester Railroad on July 4, 1835. The railroad shortened travel time between destinations and brought access to trade and people. As Worcester grew, so did the need for trains and stations to house them; the Union Stations were two of the most notable. With this rapid transportation growth, Worcester was becoming a city of manufacturers. The Stephen Salisburys, father and son, expanded the Court Mills near the courthouse, and William T. Merrifield, who built the Merrifield Buildings on today's DCU Center site, encouraged industrial growth and ingenuity. Both provided rooms with power to let for a city of creative mechanics; therefore, products could be made without the capital to construct a factory. As a byproduct of the construction of the Blackstone Canal and the introduction of the railroad, Worcester experienced rapid industrial growth and diversification of its population. Initially, the Irish who built the canal and then the railroads went to work in the many factories, and as industrialization continued, more European immigrants arrived seeking work. This rapid growth led to a realization of the town of the need to address improved infrastructure, such as fire and police The First Parish or Old South Church as it appeared in 1871. Located on the Common, the 1763 Meeting House, later Old South Church, served both as government and religious center until the construction of the Town Hall in 1825. The church would be demolished to make way for the current City Hall. source: Worcester Historical Museum Town Hall with view of the New City Hall from Harrington Corner, circa 1898. By the turn of the century industrialized Worcester was a maze of different forms of transportation and offered a variety of new types of power. source: Worcester Historical Museum Map of the Village of Worcester, Drawn by E.E. Phelps, Published by C. Harris, 1829, depicting the golden triangle from Lincoln Square to the Common and Main to Summer Street. the map anticipates the impact of the Blackstone Canal on Worcester. source: American Antiquarian Society Heart of the Commonwealth