TOWNS OF WORCESTER COUNTY

Created from Middlesex County, 1731

Town	Settled	Incorporated	Notes
Ashburnham	1736	1765	Known as the plantation Dorchester, Canada.
Ashby	1676	1767	Middlesex County; created from Ashburnham.
Athol	1735	1762	Originally known as the plantation, Payquage.
Auburn	1714	1778	Inc. as the town of Ward in 1778, renamed Auburn in 1837.
Barre	1720	1774	Inc. 1774 as Hutchinson; renamed Barre, 1776.
Bellingham	1713	1719	Norfolk County; created from Mendon.
Berlin	1665	1812	Created from Bolton and Marlborough.
Blackstone	1662	1845	Created from Mendon.
Bolton	1682	1738	Created from Lancaster.
Boxborough	1680	1835	Middlesex County; received land from Harvard
Boylston	1705	1786	Created from Lancaster and North Precinct of Shrewsbury.
Brookfield	1664	1718	Before 1673, known as Quobauge.
Charlton	1735	1775	From Oxford.
Clinton	1654	1850	Created from Lancaster
Dana	1801		Land from Hardwick, Greenwich and Petersham; became Quabbin Reservoir (1938)
Dorchester, Canada, plantation of	1736	1765	Inc. as Ashburnham
Douglas	1722	1775	Before 1746 was district of New Sherborne
Dudley	1714	1732	Created from Oxford.
East Brookfield	1664	1920	From Brookfield
Fitchburg	1730	1764	Inc. as a town 1764, as a city in 1872; created from Turkey Hill, part of Lunenburg.
Gardner	1764	1785	Inc. as a town in 1785, as a city in 1923; created from Templeton, Ashburnham, Westminster and Winchendon.
Gerry	1751	1786	From Templeton & Athol (1786); renamed Phillipston in 1814.
Grafton	1718	1735	Before 1735, it was known as the plantation of Massanamisco
Greenwich	1765		Became part of New Salem with Quabbin Reservoir construction.
Hardwick	1737	1739	Before incorporation was known as Lambstown Plantation
Harvard	1704	1732	Created from Lancaster.
Holden	1723	1741	Created from North Worcester.
Hopedale	1660	1886
Hubbardston	1741	1775
Hudson	1699	1866
Hutchinson	1720	1774	Renamed Barre, 1776.
Ipswich, Canada, plantation of	1753	1764	Inc. as Winchendon.
Lambstown, plantation of	1737	1739	Became Hardwick when incorporated in 1739.
Lancaster	1643	1653	Commonly called Nashaway before incorporation.
Leicester	1713	1713	It was an outgrowth of the common land called Towtaid, meaning 'an open field'
Leominster	1653	1740	Inc. as a town 1740, as a city 1915.
Lunenburg	1721	1728
Marlborough	1657	1660	Inc. as a town 1660, as a city 1890
Massanamisco, plantation of	1718	1735	Inc. as Grafton in 1735.
Mendon	1660	1667	Before incorporation was called the township of Qunshapage
Milford	1662	1780
Millbury	1716	1813
Millville	1662	1916
Naquag	1716	1722	Common land prior to 1714; became Rutland
Narragansett #2, plantation of	1737	1759	Became Westminster when incorporated.
Narragansett #6, plantation of	1751	1762	With incorporation it became Templeton.
Nashaway	1643	1653	Became Lancaster.
New Braintree	1709	1775
New Medfield	1729	1738	Common land prior to 1738 when incorporated as Sturbridge
New Sherborne	1722	1775	Was known as district of New Sherborne prior to 1746 when it was renamed Douglas.
Nichewoag	1733	1754	Became Petersham when incorporated.
North Brookfield	1664	1812
Northborough	1672	1775	Originally the northern portion of Westborough.
Northbridge	1704	1775	Originally from the northern part of Uxbridge.
Oakham	1749	1762
Oxford	1687	1693
Paxton	1749	1765
Payquage, plantation of	1735	1762	Inc. as Athol
Petersham	1733	1754	Prior to incorportion was known as Nichewoag.
Phillipston	1751	1786	Inc. as the town of Gerry; renamed Phillipston in 1814.
Princeton	1743	1771
Quansigamond, plantation of	1673	1722	Became known as Worcester in 1684.
Qunshapage	1660	1667	Became Mendon after incorporation.
Quobauge	1664	1718	Common land known as Quobauge before 1673 when it became Brookfield.
Royalshire	1762	1765	Common land known as Royalshire prior to incorporation, when it became Royalston.
Royalston	1762	1765	Prior to incorporation was common land known as Royalshire.
Rutland	1716	1722	Common land prior to 1714 known as Naquag.
Shrewsbury	1722	1727
Southborough	1660	1727	Was originally the southerly part of the parent town of Marlborough.
Southbridge	1730	1816	Originally the southeastern part of Sturbridge.
Spencer	1721	1753	District status in 1753.
Sterling	1720	1781
Sturbridge	1729	1738	Prior to incorporation was common land known and New Medfield
Sutton	1704	1714
Templeton	1751	1762	Before inc. was known as the plantation called Narragansett #6.
Towtaid	1713	1713	Common land called Towtaid, meaning 'an open field', became Leicester.
Upton	1728	1735
Uxbridge	1662	1727
Ward	1714	1778	Renamed as Auburn in 1837.
Warren	1664	1834	Originally incorporated as the town of Western in 1742. Renamed Warren in 1834.
Webster	1713	1832
West Boylston	1642	1808	Originally the western part of Boylston.
West Brookfield	1664	1848	Originally the western part of Brookfield.
Westborough	1675	1717	Originally the western part of Marlborough.
Western	1664	1742	Became the town of Warren in 1834.
Westminster	1737	1759	Before incorporation in 1759, was the plantation called Narrangansett #2.
Winchendon	1753	1764	Prior to 1764 it was known as the plantation, Ipswich, Canada.
Worcester	1673	1722	Was known as the plantation of Quansigamond prior to 1784; inc. as a town in 1722, as a city in 1848.

Information came from the US Geological Survey. If you're looking for the name of a county that a town is in, this is the place to find it.

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