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City of Worcester: 300 Years 7 W A s Worcester celebrates its Tercentennial, it's important to take a look back at the triumphs and trials that the city has experienced throughout the last 300 years. From humble beginnings to a hub of medical breakthroughs, academic excellence, and athletic distinction, Worcester has become a leader and an influencer in several sectors. But achieving this lofty status has not come easy. Perseverance, determination, and grit have made the city what it is today. Amazing accomplishments, tragic natural disasters, and life-changing discoveries have given Worcester its character. This pictorial journey highlights some of the ups and downs the city has endured upon its way to this special anniversary. BUILDING A VILLAGE In much of the 17th century, the Worcester area remained unknown to settlers along the coast. Forebears of people who now call themselves Nipmuc/k occupied part of an eight-mile square territory called Quinsigamond, the ancient Native American name for the area. Indigenous Quinsigamond was an aboriginal homeland cluster including Worcester and its surrounding area. Documented encampments or "village" sites were reported at Quinsigamond itself, Tatnuck (both in Worcester), Towtaid in Leicester, and Packachoag on College Hill. In 1667, the colonial legislature set aside an eight square mile area for future settlement. Known as Quinsigamond Plantation, the first site was located north of the old Connecticut Path (modern Route 20), on lands already cleared by local Natives, near Plantation and Lincoln Streets, just north of Lake Quinsigamond. Not until 1673 did the legally required thirty families commit to the venture, but in 1675 during the King Philip War the six or seven houses at the plantation were abandoned and subsequently burned by Indian insurgents. Building a future on the feats of the past source: Society of Antiquity Proceedings, Worcester Historical Museum One of several Nipmuc/k villages in Worcester (known then as Quinsigamond) and surrounding area. source: Thomas Doughton Site of Jonas Rice house, 1713, corner of Heywood and Vale. source: Worcester Historical Museum