City of Worcester: 300 Years 11
W
F
rom 1722 to 2022 Worcester experienced many pivotal
moments that prompted its evolution from an agrarian
society to a biomedical hub. The first, and arguably most
significant, moment occurred on April 2, 1731, when
the general courts chose Worcester as the county seat.
Although other towns within the newly formed county
were larger and more influential, winning this warrant set in motion
growth that would continue into the 21st century.
With this designation came stores like those of Stephen Salisbury
and Daniel Waldo. Main Street became the fashionable location for
merchants, taverns, doctors, and lawyers. In 1763, the town constructed
the meeting house, the center of government and religion, on the
Common. The town center extended from the courthouse down
Main Street to the Common. As town business expanded, the need to
separate church and state became obvious, prompting the construction
of a town hall on the Common in 1825.
Heart of the Heart of the Heart of the
Commonwealth
Court Hill, Worcester, drawn and published by Addison Prentiss, 1851.
the first of many court houses that would sit up on the hill. View looking
up from Main Street toward present-day Lincoln Square.
Second Court House, Built in 1750. Since 1731 a court house has continuously
occupied this site on Main Street near Lincoln Square Until 2007 when
the new court house opened further down on Main Street. This building
weathered both the American Revolution and Shays's Rebellion. Through the
efforts of an early personal preservation effort the building survives in
one of Worcester 's residential neighborhoods.
source: Worcester Historical Museum
source: Worcester Historical Museum
