Browse Items (146 total)

Walker Ice Company house and Washburn & Moen in the distance

After using horse-drawn carts for a number of years, the Walker Ice Company switched to automobile-powered ice delivery, which increased their area of service and their productivity. This image shows one of their early trucks and accompanying ice…

Hot water was a byproduct of manufacturing at American Steel and Wire which was dumped into Salisbury Pond in the winter of 1899-1900. When the hot water damaged the ice crop at Salisbury Pond, the Walker Ice Company sued for damages.

A section of the report given by the Worcester Parks Commission detailing trees planted in Institute Park in 1893.

A section of the report given by the Worcester Parks Commission detailing trees planted in Institute Park in 1894.

An article from Worcester Public Works and Parks describing Institute Park and it's history. Speaks of its creation and how certain pieces got added.

Fortunately, there are forces at work attempting to undo the damage done to the urban forests of Worcester. Worcester Tree Initiative, now a part of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, that was formed in January, 2009 with the ambitious plan to plant 30,000…

Subject: Map of the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, showing the roads and waterways in the city. Shows a part of the town broken off and given to Ward, now Auburn. Shows taverns, churches, mills and other buildings in the city.

The photograph in the article shows the wrecking ball team destroying the tower. The town wasn’t able to grab the same attention as it had gotten in 1929 and therefore, the tower was finally ordered destroyed. As the tower came down, the town’s…

Ice companies hired a seasonal local workforce to help harvest the ice that formed on lakes at the end of each winter. Some of these workers might also help delivery the ice to houses and businesses across the city in the summer.