Ocean to Ocean on Horseback: Being the Story of a Tour in the Saddle from the Atlantic to the Pacific; with Especial Reference to the Early History and Development of Cities and Towns Along the Route; and Regions Traversed Beyond the Mississippi; Together with Incidents, Anecdotes and Adventures of the JourneyGlazier, Willard W.
History
Ocean to Ocean on Horseback: Being the Story of a Tour in the Saddle from the Atlantic to the Pacific; with Especial Reference to the Early History and Development of Cities and Towns Along the Route; and Regions Traversed Beyond the Mississippi; Together with Incidents, Anecdotes and Adventures of the Journey
Glazier, Willard W.
United States -- Description and travel
In Lincoln Square stands the old Salisbury mansion, an interesting
specimen of a colonial house, which has been standing a century or so,
since the time when those substantial buildings, with their wide halls,
high ceilings, and strong walls, were built on honor. There it has stood
in its dignity, more flimsy, more showy architecture springing up around
it, until now the _fin de siècle_ eye discovers that nothing is more to
be desired than one of these same sturdy old colonial houses.
Main street contains many churches. On it is the large, ugly-looking,
but justly celebrated, Clark University, which is devoted to scientific
research, with its wonderfully equipped chemical laboratory.
Any one who wants a bird's-eye view of Worcester and its environments,
can easily have it by strolling out Highland street to Newton Hill. It
is only about a mile from Lincoln Park, but it is six hundred and
seventy feet above the sea level, and from it "the whole world, and the
glory thereof," seems spread out at one's feet.
On Salisbury street, one mile from the square, stands the house in which
George Bancroft, the historian, dear to American hearts, was born.
A mile and a half from the square, on Salisbury Pond, are located the
famous Wire Works of Washburn and Moen.
There are many buildings to interest the visitor in Worcester. The State
Lunatic Asylum, with its one thousand patients; the free Public Library
on Elm street, containing eighty thousand volumes; the High School on
Walnut street; the Museum of the National Historical Society, on Foster
street; All Saint's Church; the Polytechnic Institute; the College of
the Holy Cross, six hundred and ninety feet above the sea, and many
another place of interest, calling on the passers-by to look, and learn
of the world's advancement.
Standing on one of the heights overlooking the little river, the
surrounding hills, the busy city, throbbing with its many manufactories,
it seemed to me I had before my eyes an object lesson of the wonderful
resources, the vim, the power of making "all things work together for
good," which I take to be the vital characteristic of American manhood.
I remembered reading that in 1767 a committee was appointed to decide
whether it would be wise to attempt to locate a village on the present
site of Worcester.
They reported that the place was one day's journey from Boston, and one
day's journey from Springfield, that the place was well watered by
streams and brooks, and that in eight miles square there was enough
meadow to warrant the settling of sixty families, adding these words:
"We recommend that a prudent and able committee be appointed to lay it
out, and that due care be taken by said committee that a good minister
of God's Word be placed there, as soon as may be, that such people as be
there planted may not live like lambs in a large place."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account