Leicester, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Leicester is a town in Worcester County
, Massachusetts
, United States
. The population was 10,970 at the 2010 census.
Although no significant battles of the American Revolution
were fought in the area, Leicester citizens played a large role in the conflict's start. At a Committee of Safety
meeting in 1774, Leicester's Colonel William Henshaw declared that "we must have companies of men ready to march upon a minute's notice"—coining the term "minutemen
", a nickname for the militia
members who fought in the revolution's first battles. Henshaw would later become an adjutant general
to Artemas Ward
, who was second in command to George Washington
in the Continental Army
.
Leicester's own standing militia fought along with other minutemen at the first conflict between Massachusetts
residents and British troops, the Battles of Lexington and Concord
on April 19, 1775. A few months later on June 17, 1775, a freed slave and Leicester resident named Peter Salem
fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill
, where he killed British Major John Pitcairn
. Both men are memorialized in Leicester street names (Peter Salem Road, Pitcairn Avenue).
Leicester also held a leading role in Massachusetts' second great revolution, the coming of industrialization
. As early as the 1780s, Leicester's mills churned out one-third of American hand cards
, which were tools for straightening fibers before spinning thread and weaving cloth. By the 1890s when Leicester industry began to fade, the town was producing one-third of all hand and machine cards in North America.
Ruth Henshaw Bascom (1772–1848), the wife of Reverend Ezekial Lysander Bascom and daughter of Colonel William Henshaw and Phebe Swan, became America's premier portrait folk artist and pastel
ist, producing over one thousand portraits from 1789 to 1846. (Henshaw Street was named after her.)
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. Ebenezer Adams
, who would later be the first mathematics and natural philosophy professor at the Phillips Exeter Academy
in New Hampshire, was the academic preceptor
in Leicester in 1792. Leicester's Pliny Earle helped Samuel Slater
build the first American mill in Pawtucket
, Rhode Island
, by building the first carding machine. This began the American Industrial Revolution
. Leicester today is one of the most northernmost communities within the Blackstone River Valley, National Heritage Corridor. Its early role with carding machines, and the role that Pliny Earle played with the first water powered mill at Pawtucket, complete the case for inclusion on Leicester in this Federal NPS historic designation.
Other social leaders who came from Leicester include Charles Adams
, military officer and foreign minister, born in town; Emory Washburn
, governor of Massachusetts from 1854–1855; and Samuel May, a pastor and active abolitionist in the 1860s, whose house was a stop on the Underground Railroad
. He also served as secretary of the Massachusetts Anti-Slave Society. His house has become a part of the Becker College
campus.
In 2005, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette named Leicester one of Central Massachusetts' top ten sports towns.
, the town has a total area of 24.7 square miles (64 km²), of which 23.4 square miles (60.6 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), or 5.35%, is water.
Leicester includes three distinct villages—Leicester Center, Cherry Valley (the east side of town, near Worcester
) and Rochdale (a crossroads in the southeast corner, near the Oxford
line). Cherry Valley and Rochdale have separate ZIP code
s from the rest of the town (01611 and 01542, respectively), but otherwise the village boundaries have no official significance, although some Cherry Valley and Rochdale residents identify more strongly with their village than the town. The village of Greenville is now considered part of Rochdale, as it falls within the 01542 ZIP code; the former villages of Mannville and Lakeside were destroyed to construct the Kettle Brook reservoir system, in northeastern Leicester, to supply water to Worcester.
The town is cut into quarters by two state highways, east-west Route 9 and north-south Route 56
. Route 9 is called Main Street through Cherry Valley and most of the rest of town; it follows a bypass alignment called South Main Street around the Washburn Square area. The town is actively trying to encourage business development along the western end of Route 9. Route 56 north of the Leicester Center crossroads is Paxton Street; south, it is Pleasant Street until it detours along a bypass road, Huntoon Memorial Highway, that skirts the edge of Rochdale.
Spencer
, now a separate town to the west, was once part of Leicester. Other municipalities bordering Leicester include Paxton
along Route 56 to the north, Worcester and Auburn
on the east, and Oxford and Charlton
on the south. Large parts of both Paxton and Auburn were also once part of Leicester.
The end of Worcester Regional Airport's longest runway, along with much of the airport's property, is in Leicester. Additionally, most of Worcester's Kettle Brook water reservoir system is in Leicester.
of 2000, there were 10,471 people, 3,683 households, and 2,707 families residing in the town. The population density
was 448.3 PD/sqmi. There were 3,826 housing units at an average density of 163.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.29% White, 1.28% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races
, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.
There were 3,683 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,039, and the median income for a family was $64,202. Males had a median income of $40,991 versus $27,913 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,822. About 3.2% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
.
has a campus on Washburn Square in the center of Leicester. The college's main campus is in Worcester
; the Leicester campus was formerly operated independently as Leicester Junior College, one of the oldest colleges in the country (founded 1792). The two institutions merged under the Becker name in 1977.
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 10,970 at the 2010 census.
History
Leicester was first settled in 1713 and was officially incorporated in 1714.Although no significant battles of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
were fought in the area, Leicester citizens played a large role in the conflict's start. At a Committee of Safety
Committee of Safety (American Revolution)
Many Committees of Safety were established throughout Colonial America at the start of the American Revolution. These committees started to appear in the 1760s as means to discuss the concerns of the time, and often consisted of every male adult in the community...
meeting in 1774, Leicester's Colonel William Henshaw declared that "we must have companies of men ready to march upon a minute's notice"—coining the term "minutemen
Minutemen
Minutemen were members of teams of select men from the American colonial partisan militia during the American Revolutionary War. They provided a highly mobile, rapidly deployed force that allowed the colonies to respond immediately to war threats, hence the name.The minutemen were among the first...
", a nickname for the militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
members who fought in the revolution's first battles. Henshaw would later become an adjutant general
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
to Artemas Ward
Artemas Ward
Artemas Ward was an American major general in the American Revolutionary War and a Congressman from Massachusetts...
, who was second in command to George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
in the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
.
Leicester's own standing militia fought along with other minutemen at the first conflict between Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
residents and British troops, the Battles of Lexington and Concord
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
on April 19, 1775. A few months later on June 17, 1775, a freed slave and Leicester resident named Peter Salem
Peter Salem
Peter Salem was an African American who served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, a slave of Jeremiah Belknap. Salem was later sold to Lawson Buckminster, who gave him his freedom. At least one record calls him "Salem Middlesex"- Military...
fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
, where he killed British Major John Pitcairn
John Pitcairn
John Pitcairn was a British Marine who was stationed in Boston, Massachusetts at the start of the American Revolutionary War....
. Both men are memorialized in Leicester street names (Peter Salem Road, Pitcairn Avenue).
Leicester also held a leading role in Massachusetts' second great revolution, the coming of industrialization
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. As early as the 1780s, Leicester's mills churned out one-third of American hand cards
Carding
Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
, which were tools for straightening fibers before spinning thread and weaving cloth. By the 1890s when Leicester industry began to fade, the town was producing one-third of all hand and machine cards in North America.
Ruth Henshaw Bascom (1772–1848), the wife of Reverend Ezekial Lysander Bascom and daughter of Colonel William Henshaw and Phebe Swan, became America's premier portrait folk artist and pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
ist, producing over one thousand portraits from 1789 to 1846. (Henshaw Street was named after her.)
Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney was an American inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution and shaped the economy of the Antebellum South...
, the man who invented the cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
and devised the idea of interchangeable parts
Interchangeable parts
Interchangeable parts are parts that are, for practical purposes, identical. They are made to specifications that ensure that they are so nearly identical that they will fit into any device of the same type. One such part can freely replace another, without any custom fitting...
, went to school at Leicester Academy
Leicester Academy
Leicester Academy was founded on March 23, 1784, when the Act of Incorporation for Leicester Academy was passed by the Massachusetts General Court as a private, state chartered institution. The charter issued to the Academy bears the bold signature of John Hancock, Governor of Massachusetts; and...
, which eventually became Leicester High School. Ebenezer Adams
Ebenezer Adams
Ebenezer Adams was an American educator. He was born to Ephraim Adams and Rebecca Locke Adams in 1765.He graduated with honor from Dartmouth College in 1791, and became the academic preceptor of Leicester, Massachusetts the following year. In 1795, he married Alice Frink, with whom he had five...
, who would later be the first mathematics and natural philosophy professor at the Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
in New Hampshire, was the academic preceptor
Preceptor
A preceptor is a teacher responsible to uphold a certain law or tradition, a precept.-Christian military orders:A preceptor was historically in charge of a preceptory, the headquarters of certain orders of monastic Knights, such as the Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar, within a given...
in Leicester in 1792. Leicester's Pliny Earle helped Samuel Slater
Samuel Slater
Samuel Slater was an early English-American industrialist known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution", or the "Father of the American Factory System" because he brought British textile technology to America. He learned textile machinery as an apprentice to a pioneer in the British...
build the first American mill in Pawtucket
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, by building the first carding machine. This began the American Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. Leicester today is one of the most northernmost communities within the Blackstone River Valley, National Heritage Corridor. Its early role with carding machines, and the role that Pliny Earle played with the first water powered mill at Pawtucket, complete the case for inclusion on Leicester in this Federal NPS historic designation.
Other social leaders who came from Leicester include Charles Adams
Charles Adams (Colorado)
Charles Adams, born Charles Schwanbeck , was a United States Army officer, US Indian agent, diplomat and businessman. In 1879 he secured the release of five hostages taken captive by the White River Utes after the Meeker Massacre, and held an official inquiry into their treatment...
, military officer and foreign minister, born in town; Emory Washburn
Emory Washburn
Emory Washburn was a United States political figure. Born in 1800 in Leicester, Massachusetts, Washburn was the 22nd Governor of Massachusetts from 1854 to 1855. He was elected as a member of the United States Whig Party defeating Henry W. Bishop and Henry Wilson with 46% of the vote...
, governor of Massachusetts from 1854–1855; and Samuel May, a pastor and active abolitionist in the 1860s, whose house was a stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. He also served as secretary of the Massachusetts Anti-Slave Society. His house has become a part of the Becker College
Becker College
Becker College is a college in Massachusetts, United States with campuses in Worcester and Leicester. Established in 1887, Becker College is home to two distinct campuses located in Worcester and Leicester, Massachusetts...
campus.
In 2005, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette named Leicester one of Central Massachusetts' top ten sports towns.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 24.7 square miles (64 km²), of which 23.4 square miles (60.6 km²) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²), or 5.35%, is water.
Leicester includes three distinct villages—Leicester Center, Cherry Valley (the east side of town, near Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
) and Rochdale (a crossroads in the southeast corner, near the Oxford
Oxford, Massachusetts
Oxford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,709 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Oxford, please see the article Oxford , Massachusetts.-History:...
line). Cherry Valley and Rochdale have separate ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
s from the rest of the town (01611 and 01542, respectively), but otherwise the village boundaries have no official significance, although some Cherry Valley and Rochdale residents identify more strongly with their village than the town. The village of Greenville is now considered part of Rochdale, as it falls within the 01542 ZIP code; the former villages of Mannville and Lakeside were destroyed to construct the Kettle Brook reservoir system, in northeastern Leicester, to supply water to Worcester.
The town is cut into quarters by two state highways, east-west Route 9 and north-south Route 56
Massachusetts Route 56
Route 56 is a north–south state highway running through central Worcester County, Massachusetts.-Route description:Route 56 begins at Route 12 in North Oxford. It crosses the French River before meeting U.S. Route 20. It continues north, passing under I-90 without access between the two...
. Route 9 is called Main Street through Cherry Valley and most of the rest of town; it follows a bypass alignment called South Main Street around the Washburn Square area. The town is actively trying to encourage business development along the western end of Route 9. Route 56 north of the Leicester Center crossroads is Paxton Street; south, it is Pleasant Street until it detours along a bypass road, Huntoon Memorial Highway, that skirts the edge of Rochdale.
Spencer
Spencer, Massachusetts
Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,688 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer , Massachusetts....
, now a separate town to the west, was once part of Leicester. Other municipalities bordering Leicester include Paxton
Paxton, Massachusetts
Paxton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2010 census.-History:Paxton was first settled in 1749 and was officially incorporated in 1765....
along Route 56 to the north, Worcester and Auburn
Auburn, Massachusetts
Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,188 at the 2010 census.- History :Auburn was first settled in 1789 and was officially incorporated in 1808 as the town of Ward, in honor of American Revolution General Artemas Ward...
on the east, and Oxford and Charlton
Charlton, Massachusetts
Charlton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,981 at the 2010 census.- History :Charlton was first settled in 1735. It was established as a District separated off from Oxford on January 10, 1755, and became a Town in 1775 by a law that made all...
on the south. Large parts of both Paxton and Auburn were also once part of Leicester.
The end of Worcester Regional Airport's longest runway, along with much of the airport's property, is in Leicester. Additionally, most of Worcester's Kettle Brook water reservoir system is in Leicester.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 10,471 people, 3,683 households, and 2,707 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 448.3 PD/sqmi. There were 3,826 housing units at an average density of 163.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.29% White, 1.28% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.
There were 3,683 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,039, and the median income for a family was $64,202. Males had a median income of $40,991 versus $27,913 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $20,822. About 3.2% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Library
The Leicester public library began in 1861. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Leicester spent 0.57% ($145,270) of its budget on its public library—some $13 per person.Public schools
Public school students in Leicester attend Leicester Primary School (grades K-2), Leicester Memorial School (grades 3-5), Leicester Middle School (grades 6-8) and Leicester High School (grades 9–12). Notable graduates of Leicester High include Diane and Elaine Klimaszewski, better known as the Coors Light TwinsKlimaszewski Twins
Diane and Elaine Klimaszewski are American models better known as the Coors Light Twins. They are also actresses and were briefly members of World Championship Wrestling's Nitro Girls.-Career:...
.
Higher education
Becker CollegeBecker College
Becker College is a college in Massachusetts, United States with campuses in Worcester and Leicester. Established in 1887, Becker College is home to two distinct campuses located in Worcester and Leicester, Massachusetts...
has a campus on Washburn Square in the center of Leicester. The college's main campus is in Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
; the Leicester campus was formerly operated independently as Leicester Junior College, one of the oldest colleges in the country (founded 1792). The two institutions merged under the Becker name in 1977.