Worcester - Massachusetts - History

The first English proprietors of Worcester, formerly known as Quinsigamond, were Increase Nowell of Charlestown, the church at Malden, MA, and Thomas Noyes of Sudbury. The first English settlement from 1664 ran into rough weather due to the death of Noyes and inaction on the part of the other three members. The original settlement was disbanded during King Philip's War , 1675-76, which made the settlers abandon their homes.  

In 1678, the first settlers were directed to return by a resettlement committee. The attacks during King Philip's War frightened the English settlers and many preferred to forfeit their land in Quinsigamond for fear of attack by natives. After many committees and meetings, some of the original settlers finally returned in 1683. On September 10, 1684, the General Court approved "that  “Quinsigamond be called Worcester."  Hostilities between the English and native tribes continued. Queen Anne's War began in 1702 and the place was again abandoned by that summer.

Worcester then remained uninhabited from 1702 to 1713. The first attempt to revive failed when sixteen petitioners requested the governor, Council, and General Court for a fort and protection in resettlement. The second attempt, in 1713 by Adam Winthrop and Gershom and James Rice of Marlborough petitioned the General Court for themselves and others interested for another try at settlement. It was accepted and James Rice became known as the first permanent settler on October 21, 1713.

Textile manufacturing began in 1789, and the first corduroy cloth in the United States was produced there. Early economic development was hindered by a lack of waterpower, but, with the advent of steam power and the opening in 1828 of the Blackstone Canal linking the community to Providence , Rhode Island, a period of expansion and industrialization began; the building of railway connections further stimulated the city's growth.

The city was an early centre of Abolitionist sentiment and became an important stop on the Underground Railroad , a route for escaped slaves. The Massachusetts branch of the Free-Soil Party, which opposed the extension of slavery, evolved out of a meeting 1848 held in Worcester.