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This is the most central, and in territory the largest county in the
Commonwealth.
It crosses from
New Hampshire on the north to the States of
Rhode Island and
Connecticut on the south; on the west it is bounded by the counties of
Franklin,
Hampshire, and
Hampden; and on the east by
Middlesex and Franklin.
Worcester County contains fifty-seven towns, and one city,—Worcester.
The soil is generally good; its surface is undulating and hilly;
Wachusett Mountain is its highest elevation.
The population of the county in 1860 was 159,650; in 1865 it was 162,923, being an increase in five years of 3,273.
The population in 1870 was 192,718, being an increase since 1865 of 29,795.
The valuation of the county in 1860 was $75,412,160; in 1865 it was $80,857,766, being an increase in five years of $5,445,606.
According to the returns made by the selectmen of the towns and the mayor of
Worcester in 1866, the whole number of men which the county furnished for the war was sixteen thousand six hundred and thirty-one (16,631), which is very near the exact number.
Every city and town in the county furnished its contingent upon every call made by the
President, and each had a surplus over and above all demands, which in the aggregate amounted to thirteen hundred and ninety-seven men (1,397).
The total amount of expenses incurred by all the municipalities in the county on account of the war, exclusive of State aid to the families of enlisted men, was one million three hundred and twenty-two thousand six hundred and ninety-three dollars and forty-five cents ($1,322,693.45).
