Worcester Historical Museum

Specialties

Worcester’s history is interpreted through a calendar of exhibitions, educational programming, tours and publications. Worcester Historical Museum features both permanent installations and changing exhibitions.

History

Established in 1875.

Worcester Historical Museum (WHM) is the only institution devoted to local history. It includes a research library of over 7,000 titles, an archive that houses thousands of documents, and a collection of artifacts, all vital to the study of Worcester history. A few examples of WHM’s holdings include correspondence of abolitionist Abby Kelley Foster, Blackstone Canal Company records, Civil War era diaries and letters, and artifacts related to Worcester’s industrial past including early wooden-​ware and ceramics, weaponry from the colonial era through World War II, paintings and sculptures, and a significant costume and textile collection.

WHM also owns and operates Salisbury Mansion, Worcester’s only historic house museum. Built in 1772, it has been restored to its 1830s appearance and one of the best documented historic houses in New England.