A Brief History of Leicester

The town of Leicester was purchased in 1686 by a group of businessmen from Roxbury, MA; it was settled and incorporated in February of 1713. The town’s first name was Towtaid, which was the name given to it by the group of Nipmuc Indians that sold the land. It was later called Strawberry Hill, because wild strawberries grew in great quantities in the area. The name Leicester was finally decided upon because it was where the father of the first selectman, Thomas Green, came from.

Roots In Farming

Leicester began as a farming community and by the start of the American Revolution numerous mills had been established to complement the local industry. Soon after, Leicester became a center for the manufacturing of hand cards, which are tools for straightening fibers prior to spinning thread and weaving cloth. In fact Eli Whitney, the man who invented the cotton gin and devised the idea of interchangeable parts, went to school at Leicester Academy, which eventually became Leicester High School.

The end of Leicester's long textile industry came in 1991, with the closing of Worcester Spinning and Finishing located in Cherry Valley. The textile industry may be gone from Leicester but there are many reminders of its past. There are beautiful brick manufacturing buildings nestled alongside peaceful roads and forests.

A Historic Past

Although no major battles of the American Revolution were fought in the area, Leicester citizens played a large role in the conflict's start. The classic term “Minuteman” originated with Leicester's Colonel William Henshaw. He declared at a 1774 meeting of the Committee on Safety, that “we must have companies of men ready to march upon a minute’s notice." Thus the historic phrase the Massachusetts is well know for was etched into history. Henshaw later became a adjutanat general in the Continental Army.

The Underground Railroad, a secret path of safe havens for slaves, operated in Leicester. Rev. Samuel May, who was pastor of the Unitarian Church, was asked to step down from his post because his mill-owning parishioners felt that he was devoting too much time to his position as Secretary of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society. After his death, Booker T. Washington with members of the Tuskegee Institute, delivered a speech on May's work on the very steps of the same church that May had been asked to leave.

You can read more about Leicester's past here.