Worcester State University Archives and Special Collections

Worcester State University Archives and Special Collections The Archives and Special Collections repository for the Worcester State University Library.

As we enter a new year, we look back about 90 years to this image of students gathered around the original campus sign o...
01/02/2026

As we enter a new year, we look back about 90 years to this image of students gathered around the original campus sign on Chandler Street in 1935-1936. Back then, the Chandler Street campus was less than 5 years old and was surrounded by open fields and woods. Most Worcester State students commuted to this remote city neighborhood each day using city busses and trolley lines.

This page will be taking a break for the spring of 2026, returning with new content in July. In the meantime, explore more historic Worcester State images on Flickr: 117097074@N04/" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://www.flickr.com/photos/117097074@N04/

or visit the WSU Archives page: https://libguides.worcester.edu/archives

WSU Women’s Field Hockey, c. 1982. Women’s field hockey was introduced as a varsity sport at Worcester State in the fall...
12/12/2025

WSU Women’s Field Hockey, c. 1982. Women’s field hockey was introduced as a varsity sport at Worcester State in the fall of 1970. The “Lancerettes” began their first season under coach Janet Demars and came in 3rd place that yearin the Massachusetts Women’s Field Hockey Tournament. At the time these images were taken about 12 years later, the head coach was Kathy Chekani. To view the records of the WSU women’s hockey team, visit the WSU Athletics page: https://www.wsulancers.com/sports/fh/records_index

Campus snowstorm, January 23, 2006. A popular theme found in Worcester State's photo collection are snowy scenes on camp...
12/05/2025

Campus snowstorm, January 23, 2006. A popular theme found in Worcester State's photo collection are snowy scenes on campus. These images taken nearly 20 years ago capture the dreamy, picturesque quality familiar places take on during a snow storm. Seen in these images are the now-demolished Old Gym building, as well as various signs from the State College era. The Lancer Oak still stands adjacent to the new Common Ground area and adjacent parking lots.

Undated portraits, c. 1983. Unlike candid images and staged group shots typical of promotional brochures, these portrait...
11/28/2025

Undated portraits, c. 1983. Unlike candid images and staged group shots typical of promotional brochures, these portraits of WSU students are more intimate and may have been taken for the yearbook or as part of a class project. Cothing, cars, and hairstyles date them to the early to mid-1980s.

Typical Elms and Other Trees of Massachusetts. Boston: Little Brown and Co. 1890. This large volume documents notable ex...
11/25/2025

Typical Elms and Other Trees of Massachusetts. Boston: Little Brown and Co. 1890. This large volume documents notable examples of trees in Massachusetts, with particular emphasis on Elms. Sadly, these distinctive trees have been largely obliterated by Dutch Elm disease which emerged in the early decades of the 20th century. This volume also documents a variety of other tree species as well as glimpses of historic New England landscapes before the development of automobile travel.

Campus images, 1982. These images show students engaged in campus life 43 years ago. They were likely shot for the campu...
11/20/2025

Campus images, 1982. These images show students engaged in campus life 43 years ago. They were likely shot for the campus yearbook or for promotional publications. The typewritten labels seem like placeholder text rather than final copy.

A book found in the library’s general collection contains an inscription linking it to New England artist and literary f...
11/18/2025

A book found in the library’s general collection contains an inscription linking it to New England artist and literary figure, Susan Hale (1833-1910). Hale was a watercolor artist and writer who traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe during the 19th and early 20th centuries. A member of the New England Hale family, her brother was noted orator and writer Rev. Edward Everett Hale. She was also the grand-niece of Revolutionary War figure, Nathan Hale. Her correspondence, held by the University of Rhode Island, documents a visit she made to Chicago in 1907-1908 to visit her nephew, Arthur (1959-1939). A Chicago Tribune article confirms this fact. It’s likely she received this book as a gift during this time. The book is a 1908 publication "The Romance of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham" (Phillip Gibbs, Putnam and Sons, NY). Because it’s provenance, it has been relocated to the WSU special collections shelves.

17 Candlewood Street. This small house, used by WSU for decades, served as the Administrative Studies Department, as see...
11/13/2025

17 Candlewood Street. This small house, used by WSU for decades, served as the Administrative Studies Department, as seen in the late 1970s image, and then in 1984, as the Campus Ministry House. During it’s time in that role, it hosted religious and counseling services. The Campus Ministry has since returned to campus and the Candlewood Street property serves other purposes. This is one of several former residential properties in the surrounding neighborhood that Worcester State has used for programming.

Becker College, fraternities and sororities 1930 and 1933. When Worcester’s Becker College closed its doors in 2021, Wor...
11/11/2025

Becker College, fraternities and sororities 1930 and 1933. When Worcester’s Becker College closed its doors in 2021, Worcester State received both its student records as well as the majority of its archives. Included in the Becker College Collection are yearbooks, student newspapers, course catalogs as well as a rich collection of photographs, 4 of which are pictured here. These images date from Becker’s time as a business college and show two student organizations: Delta Chi Lambda, and Alpha Omicron. A finding aid for the collection can be viewed by visiting the Worcester State Archives Libguide and scrolling down to the Special Collections box: https://libguides.worcester.edu/archives/Collections

Aerial views looking east and north, 1978. These views show the area of today’s residence halls and behind the LRC build...
11/06/2025

Aerial views looking east and north, 1978. These views show the area of today’s residence halls and behind the LRC building as the Student Center was nearing completion. The parking lot and tennis courts in the foreground of the first view are the site of today’s Sheehan Hall. The driveway between the new Student Center and the LRC would be replaced with terracing and today’s cul-de-sac around 1999-2000. In the second view, the Old Gym is visible on the far left. Beyond it is the open space where the Ghosh building would rise in 2000.

Atlas of the City of Worcester. Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1870. 1971 reprint. Highly detailed maps such as these were p...
11/04/2025

Atlas of the City of Worcester. Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1870. 1971 reprint. Highly detailed maps such as these were painstakingly surveyed and drafted by publishers and show precise locations of urban infrastructure such as streets, parks, and houses. Using current Google maps and online editing tools, overlays can be created to see change over time in the two views of downtown Worcester shown here. Before digital resources became widely available online, reprints like this of historical maps were invaluable tools to historians.

Campus scenes, c. 1971. These images were scanned from a strip of negatives taped to the back of a “proof” sheet (a prin...
10/30/2025

Campus scenes, c. 1971. These images were scanned from a strip of negatives taped to the back of a “proof” sheet (a print of the negatives strips. The images lack a date, but the nearly-complete LRC building indicates these images are likely from the 1970-1971 school year. Included in these scenes is the lunch room and student lounge located in the Old Gym building. .

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Worcester, MA
01602

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