Bancroft Tower - Worcester, MA
Posted by: 
nomadwillie
N 42° 16.585 W 071° 48.950
19T E 267802 N 4684307
Built in 1900 to honor George Bancroft by Stephen Salisbury III his very good friend to honor his memories.
Waymark Code: WMHYEP
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 08/26/2013
Views: 3
17. Bancroft Tower, a battlemented stone structure, offers the finest observation
point in the city. Massachusetts ~ A Guide to its Places and People.
The Bancroft Tower is a 2 1/2 story structure built of boulders and cobbles, trimmed with rock-faced granite. It has an open arch in the center, asymmetrical in design. The arch is flanked by two towers which rise to observation platforms surrounded by crenellated parapets. Rising from the left tower is a circular tower, as well. This is the last surviving tower of the three built in Worcester. It is situated on one of the highest points in Worcester. It was designed by a local firm, Stephen Earle and Cellan Fisher. The tower was constructed in 1900 for Stephen Salisbury III. Both the tower and hill on which it sits was named in honor of the historian, George Bancroft, a native of Worcester. Salisbury retain ownership of the parkland and tower during his lifetime and given to the city in his will in 1907.
George Bancroft was born at the foot of the hill where the tower stands. He was Secretary of the Navy, Founder of the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, and US Minister to Great Britain and Germany. The tower was built in his memory by his friend Stephen Salisbury.