8 Claremont Street |
WorcesterThen.com Perspectives on Worcester History An amateur historian’s efforts to contribute a little to what is known about the fascinating past of this great city |
Site last updated: March 23, 2020 The site was last updated May 6, a much longer hiatus than I had hoped this would be. Other needs are still in the way, so I’m still not back to it. But I have updated one article, as is noted below. |
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This ad for the Ladies Home Journal, a popular monthly for many years, in the Evening Gazette of Nov-01-1921 takes a perspective on the new jazz craze that may seem familiar. Click on it for a readable version. |
Update: Worcester in the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 version 2, March 2020 Death notices and short biographies of some people worth knowing something about Until some time in the late 1930s or 1940s the term obituary referred to a location in a newspaper, magazine, etc., where death notices were placed. It gradually came to refer to the notices themselves – thus obituaries in modern usage. Here we revert to the past tradition. Most of the death notices and related news articles are from the Spy, the Gazette, the Telegram, or the Evening Post. Also sometimes included are biographies from Charles Nutt’s History of Worcester and other sources. Total now posted: 27 |
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The Changing Landscape of Worcester A stunning loss of woodland before the era of railroads and other uses of wood-burning steam power
Nationalities of the Parents of Pupils in the Public Schools 1867-1930 a graphic representation of waves of migration to the city a chart, an Excel worksheet, and a short narrative
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Miscellaneous Essays: Notable Arches in Worcester Architecture Excursion to the Exposition: to Seattle by Train in 1909 Churches of the Common: 1719 to the present All Saints Episcopal Church – a setback and recovery Murder in Brookfield in 1898… and a follow-up (Oct-2017) Worcester High Schools, 1752-1916 Nationalities of Parents of Pupils in W.P.S. 1867-1930 The Norcross Family Compound, 1869-1920 Worcester Goes Wireless – the first time Worcester’s Experience of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 Causes of Death in Worcester a Century Ago The Worcester of 1771 – a Profile Worcester’s Changing Landscape During the Federal Period Worcester’s Only, 1909 – a breakthrough in election coverage |
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WorcesterThen: 1918 Version 2, March 2020 Worcester in the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 ver.2 Suddenly more relevant in the shadow of COVID-19 (pdf) See also: |
WorcesterThen: 1895-1935 First came telegraph service in the 1860s, then telephones and electricity for lighting in the 1870s, 80s, and 90s. Suddenly there were poles and wires everywhere, especially on the busy streets of the downtown area. In the mid-1890s a decision was made, and then was reiterated later, to take them down and bury the wires underground. It was no small job, and for no small purpose.
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WorcesterThen: 1918 data from annual reports of the Board of Health
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WorcesterThen: late 1800s Urbanization Crosses Park Ave. The Development of Newton Square (1880s-1900s) (pdf) Newton Square in the 1890s |
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Residential Development in Worcester in the Early 20th Century An account of the area of the city known originally as Lenox, from its origin as the farm and homestead of a family there for six generations, through its conversion to urban residential use through subdivision development, beginning in 1909. The Scotts of Maplewood Road (pdf)
In the 19th century, esteemed figures were sometimes referred to as the Hon. (honorable) followed by the person’s name. As to whether there were any rules or guidelines for the use of the term, consider the opinion of the Daily Spy on the subject in 1882. |
A prominent and respected manufacturer of machinists’ tools goes missing in 1875 The case of Lucius W. Pond An account of his disappearance and of what followed |
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