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19-485: New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, formerly known as Tower Hill Botanic Garden, was founded in 1986 on the former Tower Hill Farm by the Worcester County Horticultural Society (WCHS), the third oldest active horticultural society in the U.S. Established in 1842, WCHS grew to be a cornerstone institution in the central Massachusetts region. For decades, from its downtown Worcester headquarters,

38-578: A class or workshop at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill each year. More than 250 people support the Garden as volunteers. In 2022, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill became the first botanic garden in the U.S. to be certified a Green Zone by the American Green Zone Alliance for the organization’s commitment to sustainability and its ongoing efforts to decarbonize its horticulture operations. In 2023, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill

57-526: A variety of themed specialty gardens and focused plant collections. Highlights include: New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill has grown dramatically in the decades since its establishment. Just between 2017 and 2023, the organization expanded its footprint by more than 50 acres, increased accessibility of its spaces through a universal design entry way, added more accessible, ADA-compliant pathways throughout formal garden spaces, and expanded educational offerings. Roughly 15,000 adults, youth, and children attend

76-525: Is made up of permanent and temporary exhibits, a research library, and currently owns and operates the local Salisbury Mansion . The library maintains more than 7,000 titles. There is one permanent exhibit at the museum in the Fuller Gallery of Industrial History, entitled "In Their Shirtsleeves." This collection covers the Industrial history of Worcester through recently donated artifacts as well as items

95-658: The Massachusetts Horticultural Society . Today, the society's work predominantly focuses in organizing and operating Tower Hill Botanic Garden , as well as supporting the Cary Award , an award program for excellence in New England cultivation practices. The society was informally founded on September 19, 1840, when several local doctors and businessmen met in Worcester "for the purposes of mutual improvement in

114-628: The 19th century and the early 20th century, the society built another, larger, facility with library and auditorium space in 1928. This building is now home to the Worcester Historical Museum . In 1983, the board of trustees made a motion to found a botanical garden in Worcester County and, by the end of 1985, this was filled with the purchase of the Tower Hill Farm which is the society's main project and headquarters today. Though

133-596: The Farmer & The Fork café and Garden Shop, as well as space for special events, art exhibitions, educational classes and workshops, concerts, and private event rentals that include weddings, corporate events, celebrations of life, and more. From the café terrace and the Reservoir Room, visitors enjoy spectacular views of Mount Wachusett and the Wachusett Reservoir . New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill features

152-590: The Institution has collected over the decades. Dealing with a time period spanning over a century, the collection highlights the accomplishment of Worcester locals and the impact their inventions had on the area and beyond. They also have three other exhibit areas that house temporary displays. Cultural history exhibits like "Smiley - An American Icon" explored the Smiley graphic and its designer, Worcester native Harvey Ball , from October 2006 to February 2007. In 2013,

171-495: The exhibit "Game On!" covered 150 years of toys and was intended to be navigated like a board game. The museum has highlighted the history of Worcester's diverse population through many exhibitions over the past 40 years. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were exhibits like “Water Street: A World Within a World” about the historically Jewish section of Worcester and “ga till Amerika: Swedes in Worcester 1868-1993.” Since then,

190-542: The footsteps of the great Association of London, may, like our other institutions, continue to flourish". The society was formally established by an act of the Massachusetts General Court on March 3, 1842. The group continued to host exhibitions annually and, by 1850, had a large enough membership and funds to purchase a plot of land and to construct its first formal headquarters, "Horticultural Hall", on Front Street in Worcester. Continuing to expand throughout

209-628: The museum has displayed and collected items relating to the history of many minority communities of Worcester. In 2008, the Guatemalan immigrant community was the focus of the exhibit “The Things We Carried: Guatemalan Stories,” in 2008. Since 2018, the museum and the Worcester Black History Project have collected oral histories, objects, and photos of local Black history. In 2018, the temporary exhibit "The Legacy of Water Street: 35 Years of Sharing Worcester’s Jewish History" revisited

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228-624: The original Water Street exhibit and expanded on the history of the local Jewish community. From April to October 2019, the “For The Record: LGBTQ+ Worcester'' exhibit united “the scattered documentation of Worcester County’s LGBTQ+ experience” in order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots . In conjunction with the College of the Holy Cross , Clark University , Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Digital Worcester, "For The Record"

247-466: The society held exhibitions that celebrated Worcester County’s thriving agricultural community. By the 1940s, however, the large country estates that had supported such shows began to diminish and exhibition entries declined. In response, WCHS set out to cultivate its own permanent botanic garden for the public to enjoy. The Stoddard Education and Visitors Center is the hub for visitor activities at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. The complex houses

266-608: The society moved from its Worcester headquarters in 1986, it remains active in the community, having spearheaded efforts in the Worcester Tree Initiative by providing more than 30,000 trees to replace those lost in efforts to eradicate the Asian long-horned beetle . Operations of the Worcester County Horticultural Society are overseen by a board of trustees. Trustees meet at regular intervals throughout

285-590: The theoretical and practical branches of Horticulture" and, in the subsequent weeks, organized an exhibition of fine specimens of orchard and garden plants from cultivators in Central Massachusetts. The organization's founders shaped it in homage to the Royal Horticultural Society in London, expressing hope in their earliest reports that their "little Society, which has thus far so bravely followed in

304-548: The use and appreciation of horticulture to improve lives, enrich communities and strengthen commitment to the natural world", building upon its founding mission to "advanc[e] the science and encourag[e] and improv[e] the practice of [h]orticulture". Formally established in 1842, it describes itself as the third-oldest horticultural society in the United States after the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and

323-661: The year, as well as on committees that support the staff of Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Daily operations of the garden are led by a CEO, directors and staff managers. Worcester Historical Museum The Worcester Historical Museum , located in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts , was founded in 1875 as the Worcester Society of Antiquity . This museum is the only institution in the area devoted entirely to local history and artifacts. The scope of their collection ranges from colonial to twentieth-century, encompassing manuscripts, textiles, paintings, and ceramics. The museum

342-553: Was created as a “down payment of sorts, in a larger project to build a sustainable physical and digital archive” relating to the Worcester LGBTQ+ community. In conjunction with the Latino History Project of Worcester, the permanent exhibit "Somos Worcester" will go on display in 2024 to showcase local Latino history. The research library is open to the public for a fee, Tuesday through Saturday 10-4 pm. Access to

361-450: Was voted “Top Botanic Garden in the U.S.” by TravelAwaits. 42°21′43″N 71°43′36″W  /  42.3619°N 71.7267°W  / 42.3619; -71.7267 Worcester County Horticultural Society The Worcester County Horticultural Society is a non-profit American horticultural society based in Boylston, Massachusetts , USA, whose stated mission in 2014 was to "inspire

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