Preservation Worcester

The Nathaniel Jones House on Franklin Street was built around 1725. Jones lived in Worcester during the 1720s before moving to Portland, Maine. He sold this property to Jonathan Gates, whose son William served as a sergeant under Captain Timothy Bigelow during the American Revolution. Learn more about this home and many other colonial era homes in Worcester in our new book, Tracing Colonial Worcester, available both digitally and in print in our Gift Shop.

Join a passionate community dedicated to exploring, preserving, and sharing our city’s rich history by registering now for our 2026-2027 docent training course! This free training teaches you historical research skills and allows a new cohort to develop their own presentations and walking tours on local Worcester history of their choice. Sessions begin on Wednesday, September 9 and registration is open now at preservationworcester.org/docentprogram

New Release! 🗞️

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Preservation Worcester has created a new self-guided digital tour featuring 26 colonial-era structures, landmarks, and monuments throughout Worcester.

Complete with historic and contemporary photos, site histories, a map, and a QR code for easy navigation, this booklet is the perfect way to explore Worcester’s earliest history.

📖 Available now. Purchase your copy today and start discovering Worcester’s colonial past! Link in comments.