Social History of Worcester in Local Archival Collections
The Museum of Worcester (Worcester, Massachusetts) houses two vast collections of social service agency casefiles which are open for public research, one from the Edward Street Temporary Home and Day Nursery (ca. 1905-1950) and the other from the Associated Charities of Worcester, Massachusetts (ca. 1890s-1940s). Both collections offer insight into the development of public and private welfare programs, the urban geography and demography of Worcester and its surrounding communities in the early twentieth century, and the lived reality of families in the central Massachusetts region during decades of profound social and economic change. They are an important and largely untapped resource across many possible disciplines.
Dr. Tona Hangen, Professor of History at Worcester State University, is the principal investigator. The project is ongoing through integrated classroom assignments in her courses, summer grant-funded work, and independent student research.
Goals
Create and publish a public, open source, searchable, downloadable dataset utilizing the information in these archival collections. We envision that it could be used by historians, demographers, researchers in public health, urban studies, or public policy, and by teachers and students at any level.
Involve student researchers in ongoing experiential learning to build their skills in digital history, research, writing, project management, and accessible database design.
Generate publishable research findings, e.g. student Commonwealth Honors projects, capstone papers, graduate theses, conference presentations, and peer-reviewed publications, to highlight these collections' potential value to diverse scholarly and public audiences.
Selected Bibliography of Project Publications
Click here for a complete bibliography
Chen, K., Hangen T., O'Neal, T., and Rickert, A. Panel titled "Urban Communities of Care: Stories from a Worcester Social Service Agency, 1910-1950," New England Historical Association, November 2025.
Chen, K., Hangen T., and Rickert, A. "Mental Health in the Commonwealth," Lightning Talks at Tewksbury Public Health Museum Community Health Fair, September 2025.
Cross, Rebecca. "From Old Case Files, New Histories Emerge," Worcester State Magazine, Spring 2025.
Hangen, T., O'Neal, T., and Rahaoui, M. "Hard Times and Community Assistance in Worcester: The Edward Street Temporary Home and Day Nursery, 1905-1940." Worcester State University, November 7, 2024.
O'Neal, T., "Edward Street Temporary Home and Day Nursery," Worcester State Celebration of Scholarship and Creativity, Winner of the 2025 Library Research Award.