Editing Worcester, Massachusetts (section)

===Colonial era===
The area was inhabited by members of the [[Nipmuc]] tribe at the time of European contact. The native people called the region ''Quinsigamond'' and built a settlement on Pakachoag Hill in [[Auburn, Massachusetts|Auburn]].<ref>Lincoln, William (1862). ''History of Worcester, Massachusetts'', pp. 22–23. Worcester: Charles Hersey.</ref>

In 1673, English settlers [[John Eliot (missionary)|John Eliot]] and [[Daniel Gookin]] led an expedition to Quinsigamond to establish a new Christian Indian [[praying town]] and identify a new location for an English settlement. On July 13, 1674, Gookin obtained a deed to eight square miles of land in Quinsigamond from the Nipmuc people and English traders and settlers began to inhabit the region.<ref name=Indian>{{cite web|title=Hassanamisco Indian Museum History|publisher=Hassanamisco Indian Museum|year=2013|url=http://nipmucmuseum.org/history|access-date=December 30, 2013|archive-date=August 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823080037/http://nipmucmuseum.org/history|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1675, [[King Philip's War]] broke out throughout New England with the Nipmuc Indians coming to the aid of Indian leader [[Metacomet|King Philip]]. The English settlers completely abandoned the Quinsigamond area and the empty buildings were burned by the Indian forces. The town was again abandoned during [[Queen Anne's War]] in 1702.<ref name="Indian" />

Finally, in 1713, Worcester was permanently resettled for a third and final time by [[Jonas Rice]].<ref name="WSA">Worcester Society of Antiquity (1903). ''Exercises Held at the Dedication of a Memorial to Major Jonas Rice, the First Permanent Settler of Worcester, Massachusetts, Wednesday, October 7, 1903.'' Charles Hamilton Press, Worcester. 72pp.</ref>  Named after the city of [[Worcester, England]], the town was incorporated on June 14, 1722.<ref name="City of Worcester, Massachusetts">{{cite web | url=http://www.worcesterma.gov/city-clerk/history | title=History, Trivia, Vital Stats & More! | publisher=City of Worcester, Massachusetts | access-date=March 3, 2007 | archive-date=March 4, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304224655/http://www.worcesterma.gov/city-clerk/history | url-status=dead }}</ref>

On April 2, 1731, Worcester was chosen as the county seat of the newly founded [[Worcester County, Massachusetts|Worcester County]] government. Between 1755 and 1758, future U.S. president [[John Adams]] worked as a schoolteacher and studied law in Worcester.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History |website= Worcester County Bar Association |url=https://www.worcestercountybar.org/our-history/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-10-04 |title=John Adams: Life Before the Presidency |url=https://millercenter.org/president/adams/life-before-the-presidency |first1=C. James |last1=Taylor |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=Miller Center |language=en}}</ref>

Worcester also had a role in the start of the [[American Revolution]], with an event that is oft-forgotten. On September 6, 1774, 4,622 militiamen from 37 towns in Worcester County assembled and marched on Main Street, Worcester; they sought to shut down the Crown's court before it could sit for a new session. The event was dubbed the [[Worcester Revolt|Worcester Revolution]], or the Worcester Revolt. Having seized the courthouse, the militiamen waited for the 25 appointees from the Crown to arrive, where they were denied entry and later forced to disavow their appointments by King George III. Bloodshed and violence was avoided, with not a shot fired. British authority had been demonstrably overthrown in the American colonies for the first time.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Raphael
| first = Ray
| date = February 12, 2013
| title = The True Start of the American Revolution
| newspaper = The Journal of the American Revolution
| page =
| url = https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/02/the-true-start-of-the-american-revolution/
| access-date = September 7, 2023
| quote =
}}</ref>