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49-443: The site was bounded by Highland Street (north), Sever Street (east), Cedar Street or William Street (south – sources vary), and Agricultural (later Russell) Street (west). The grounds were just east of the large public park called Elm Park. Today, the former fairgrounds property contains a grid of streets, and many homes and businesses, including the now closed Becker College . The Fairgrounds were home to an agricultural fair and to

98-711: A horse trotting track, usually called the Driving Park. " Driving " was a commonly used synonym for trotting, long before the term came to be associated primarily with the not-yet-invented automobile. The Driving Park opened in May 1872, and hosted baseball by August of that year. Horse racing at the grounds took place as late as July 1894, but appears to have ceased after that time due to local officials disallowing "pool-selling" (gambling) on races. Driving Park hosted some professional baseball games prior to Worcester acquiring its own franchise. These included an exhibition between

147-629: A competitive equestrian team for Becker College students, boarding, and lessons for the public at the Becker College Equestrian Center, located in Paxton, Massachusetts . A teaching facility which includes a veterinary clinic that can see clients for wellness care and non-urgent medical and surgical care for dogs, cats, other small mammals, and birds, located on the Leicester campus. A teaching facility that gives students

196-423: A later National Association (unrelated to the earlier NA), then for three seasons, 1880 to 1882, in the major-league National League (NL). On June 12, 1880, Worcester pitcher Lee Richmond threw the first perfect game in major-league history. There is a granite post commemorating the perfect game on the former Becker College campus. The park was also the site of the first, true major league doubleheader . For

245-476: A new home at the nearby Worcester Polytechnic Institute . Both campuses occupy historic districts with buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The Worcester campus was located on Sever Street in the residential Elm Park neighborhood, not far from downtown Worcester, which is about 40 miles west of Boston. Purchased in 1854 using public funds, Elm Park is recognized as one of

294-591: A previously postponed game in the District of Columbia —was played in Worcester at the recommendation of Washington manager John Gaffney , who had grown up in Worcester. Boston won, 6–5. Becker College Becker College was a private college in Worcester and Leicester, Massachusetts . Becker College traced its history from the union of two Massachusetts educational institutions—one founded in 1784 and

343-623: A result of their close cooperation, the two were formally consolidated in 1977 as the Worcester campus and Leicester campus of Becker College. In April 2011, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts designated Becker as the home of the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI). The Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI) was a statewide center, designated by the Commonwealth, for academic cooperation, entrepreneurship, and economic development across

392-542: A total of 419 faculty and staff, representing a 17:1 student/faculty ratio. The college offers Bachelor, Associate, and Accelerated Degree Programs, in 2014 Becker College launched a Master of Arts in mental health counseling and in 2016 launched a Master of Science in nursing. The Master of Science degrees in International Business and Organisational Psychology were discontinued at the end of the academic year 2019/20. All programs were fully accredited through

441-483: Is a town in Worcester County , Massachusetts , United States. It is home to Old Sturbridge Village living history museum and other sites of historical interest such as Tantiusques . The population was 9,867 at the 2020 census , with more than 3,600 households. For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Sturbridge, see: Fiskdale and Sturbridge (CDP) . Sturbridge

490-429: Is bordered by Charlton and Southbridge to the east, Union , Connecticut and Woodstock, Connecticut , to the south, Brimfield and Holland to the west, and Brookfield and East Brookfield to the north. Sturbridge lies approximately 29 miles (47 km) east of Springfield , 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Worcester , and 55 miles (89 km) west of Boston . U.S. Route 20 runs through Sturbridge, and

539-631: Is one of three public schools in Sturbridge. It has its own school committee , part of School Union 61. Sturbridge students also attend Tantasqua Regional Junior High School (grades 7–8) and Tantasqua Regional High School , in the Fiskdale section of town. Union 61 and the Tantasqua district share administrators, including the superintendent, and both include Brimfield , Brookfield , Holland , Sturbridge and Wales . The Sturbridge Public Library

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588-533: The Medical Secretarial course was introduced and became a national model that attracted a number of students. With a critical need for student housing in the area, in 1939 the college purchased a late- Victorian house , built in 1893 on Cedar Street. This home became the first Becker dormitory. In 1974, Becker and Leicester began working together to expand academic offerings and provide broader social and recreational opportunities for their students. As

637-570: The National Association (NA) pennant winner Boston Red Stockings and runner-up Philadelphia Whites , played on October 30, 1873, after the end of the season—Boston prevailed, 15–9, before a crowd of 2,000. A regular-season NA contest was held at Driving Park on October 30, 1874, between Boston and the Hartford Dark Blues . Hartford won, 17–11, in front of a crowd of 500. The Worcester Worcesters competed in 1879 in

686-837: The Washburn Square-Leicester Common Historic District . Classes are held in the Arnold C. Weller Academic Building (former site of the Bancroft School ) and the Health Science Center on the Sever Street Quad, as well as in the Design Center (Graphic, Interior and Game) on Cedar Street, which also houses a Mac Lab and motion-capture suite. A multi-purpose gymnasium and dining hall are features of

735-533: The 1830s. Tantiusques is an open-space reservation and historic site. Wells State Park is a 1,400-acre (570 ha) woodland park and campground located on Route 49 . The park includes 10 miles (16 km) of trails and Walker Pond , which offers a setting for fishing, canoeing, and swimming. Sturbridge is the home of the Sturbridge Worship Center church which impacts wider New England. Burgess Elementary School, serving grades K–6,

784-595: The Collaborative Learning Center, in former homes and typical "three-deckers" for which Worcester is famous. On Worcester's quad is a monument commemorating the pitching of the first perfect game in professional baseball, on June 12, 1880, by Lee Richmond of Worcester, against Cleveland, in a National League game. The game took place on the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds , where the college, and much of

833-544: The Gilbert R. Boutin Student Center, and within three blocks on Cedar Street are six of the 11 residence halls found on the Worcester campus, Merrill, Davis, Lincoln, Colton (Becker's first residence hall in Worcester, purchased in 1939), Cedar, and Willow Hall, a brick apartment-style building. Beeches, Miller, Maple, and Bullock Halls also serve dormitories. Lining Roxbury Street are office buildings, campus police and

882-698: The Leicester Student Center. The Leicester campus was also home to many of the college's athletic teams that play home games on Alumni Field. The equestrian team practice and host competitions at the Becker Equestrian Center in nearby Paxton, Massachusetts , and the hockey team host home games at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts . One of the most prominent buildings on

931-729: The Leicester gymnasium and the Lenfest Animal Health Center, the college's veterinary teaching clinic, which was open to the public for appointments during the academic year. Around "the grove" are the Borger Academic Center which houses classrooms, laboratories and the Daniels Hall auditorium, Marsh Hall (classrooms, offices and the Collaborative Learning Center); Susan E. Knight Hall (dining hall, rooms and offices) and

980-923: The Massachusetts digital and video games ecosystem. In 2014, the college launched its first master's degree, a Master of Arts in mental health counseling. The following year, the college signed a memorandum of understanding with Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus to establish the Yunus Social Business Centre @ Becker College. The centre was established in partnership with the Seven Hills Foundation and will focus on identifying real-world social problems and creating innovative, self-sustaining solutions to transform lives and communities. In May 2017, Becker College welcomed its 11th president, Nancy P. Crimmin. In March 2021, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education said

1029-480: The May House included Ralph Waldo Emerson , William Lloyd Garrison , Booker T. Washington , George Hoar , May's brother-in-law, Bronson Alcott , and his daughter Louisa May Alcott . It is known that the young author spent summers at the May House and it has been reported that she wrote some of her works from her room on the third floor. The house currently serves as a residence hall. The college broke ground in

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1078-485: The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). In 2016, 100% of Becker nursing students passed their Registered Nurses examination. The game design program at Becker has been recognized on The Princeton Review's list of top undergraduate schools to study game design from 2010 to 2016. In 2016, the program was ranked at number five. The Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI)

1127-403: The average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males. The median income for a household in the town

1176-467: The college would have had to severely curtail its programs, sell assets and take on additional debt to stay open past the end of the spring 2021 semester. In May 2021, the college announced plans to lay off 329 employees at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year, at which point it closed permanently. Becker offered more than 40 degree programs ranging from Animal Sciences and Criminal Justice and Game Design to Nursing and Veterinary Sciences. Becker had

1225-464: The college's financial situation had become "sufficiently uncertain" to threaten its long-term viability. The statement added that the department "believes that the institution is unlikely to sustain full operations through the next academic year". A few weeks later, college trustees announced that the school would, indeed, close. They said that because of losses sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic ,

1274-973: The college. He went on to purchase and manage the Rockford Business College in Rockford, Illinois , and the Freeport Business College in Elgin, Illinois . After Becker's successes in the Midwest, he moved east, managing a school in Pottsville, Pennsylvania , before arriving in Worcester to lead the business department at Hinman College. In 1887 he established Becker's Business College in the Clark building at 492 Main Street in Worcester. On opening day, one student showed up. By

1323-651: The end of the week 30 were in attendance. The college offered courses in bookkeeping, penmanship, arithmetic, shorthand and typing for both men and women. E.C.A. Becker was a member of the Worcester Board of Trade and the Worcester Economic Club. In his free time he enjoyed hunting in Maine, a hobby showcased by two large moose heads that adorned the Becker reception office until the early 1930s. He

1372-658: The first purchases of land for a public park in the United States. The campus area belonged to the Lincoln family (noted for governors Levi Lincoln Sr. and Levi Lincoln Jr. , and much of it is in the Lincoln Estate-Elm Park Historic District , which includes some historic properties owned by the college. The Leicester campus was adjacent to the historic center of that town, and a number of buildings on that campus are included in

1421-763: The former Leicester campus was the Rev. Samuel May House, built in 1835 and officially recognized in 2008 as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Rev. Samuel May was a leading anti-slavery figure for over three decades and a prominent individual in the New England literary community during the mid-1800s. His wife was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) as well as an outspoken proponent for women's suffrage. Frequent visitors to

1470-585: The founder, Ephraim Allen of Sturbridge and Samuel Swan of Leicester were members of the inaugural class. All three later graduated from Harvard College . The Leicester Academy became defunct in 1917. According to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, Leicester Academy existed until 1952, when it became Leicester Junior College. Three years after the Leicester Academy centennial, in 1887, Becker's Business College

1519-482: The junction of Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike ) and the eastern terminus of Interstate 84 is located there. The Wilbur Cross Highway ( Connecticut Route 15 ) formerly ended in Sturbridge; locals sometimes call Haynes Street and portions of Mashapaug Road " Old Route 15 ". Haynes Street ends at Main Street ( Massachusetts Route 131 ), which connects Sturbridge Center with Southbridge; on

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1568-452: The neighborhood, now stands. The Leicester campus was in a traditional, rural setting, located six miles west of Worcester. Students are shuttled between Leicester and Worcester for classes and events. The historic Leicester Common was a centerpiece to the campus, which includes three historic buildings, once stately homes that the college transitioned into residence halls, Lane, Winslow and Hitchcock. Behind those halls, on Old Main Street, are

1617-596: The opportunity to assess a crime scene, in terms of understanding the nature of physical evidence, located on the Worcester campus. Becker College once fielded 17 intercollegiate athletic teams that competed in the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Prior to becoming an NCAA institution in the fall of 1998, Becker competed in junior college athletics. The 2007–08 women's basketball team

1666-532: The other in 1887. The college closed at the end of the 2020–21 academic year. The college offered more than 40 undergraduate degree programs including nursing programs, a veterinary science program, and video game design and development programs. The college's 2016–17 enrollment was 1,892. Becker College has more than 21,000 alumni. The institution comprised two separate campuses located six miles apart, each with its own residence halls, library, dining hall and academic facilities. Becker's Leicester campus

1715-576: The population had reached 9,268. As of the census of 2000, there had been 7,837 people, 3,066 households, and 2,213 families residing in the town. The population density was 209.5 inhabitants per square mile (80.9/km ). There were 3,335 housing units at an average density of 89.1 per square mile (34.4/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 97.14% White , 3.6% Black or African American , 2.7% Native American , 1.14% Asian , 0.09% Pacific Islander , 0.31% from other races , and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of

1764-407: The population. There were 3,066 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and

1813-483: The price of a single game, Worcester fans saw two games against the Providence Grays on September 25, 1882. The last game for the local major-league club was played on September 29, 1882, with Troy defeating Worcester, 10–7. But it was not the last major-league game in Worcester; five years later, on August 17, 1887, the fairgrounds hosted an NL game between Washington and Boston . The contest—to make up

1862-517: The spring 2011 on a new campus center in Leicester. The George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Campus Center was opened in September 2012. The new building was adjacent to the previous student center and houses a dining hall and fitness center as well as academic, office, and social spaces. Becker has two campus libraries with a combined collection of 73,467 cataloged items as well as periodicals and newspapers Becker College offered equine academic programs,

1911-402: The west side of town, Massachusetts Route 148 connects Fiskdale with Brookfield. On August 18, 1955, gale-force winds and torrential downpour from Hurricane Diane created floodwaters that broke dams in surrounding towns and flooded the village. The northwestern portion of the town, Fiskdale , is a census-designated place with its own post office and ZIP-code assignment. By the 2010 census,

1960-461: Was $ 56,519, and the median income for a family was $ 64,455. Males had a median income of $ 50,168 versus $ 31,940 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 25,559. About 4.5% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over. Old Sturbridge Village , located on U.S. Route 20 , is a living museum that re-creates life in rural New England from 1790s to

2009-474: Was a statewide center, designated by the Commonwealth, for academic cooperation, entrepreneurship and economic development across the Massachusetts digital and video games ecosystem. Established in 2011 and based at Becker College, MassDiGI was the result of creative collaboration among academia, industry and government, aimed at fostering the growth of the game industry and innovation economy. After Becker College closed in 2021, MassDigi continued to operate, from

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2058-487: Was also known to have had a pleasant sense of humor. Upon his death in 1907, the college had an average annual enrollment of 200 students. Graduates excelled in the counting rooms of Worcester's manufacturing and mercantile establishments and on their civil service examinations. In 1907, E.C.A. Becker's wife Mary Charlotte Becker formed a corporation to manage the college, serving as treasurer, with son-in-law Walter S. Doud as president, and daughter Eva M. as clerk. In 1938

2107-681: Was an associate member of the NECC. The equestrian team was a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA/ Zone 1, Region 1). The women's ice hockey team, which was introduced in the fall of 2014, was a member of Eastern College Athletic Conference Northeast (ECAC). Their website has been archived by d3archive.com at beckerhawks.com.d3archive.com 42°16′07″N 71°48′43″W  /  42.2685°N 71.8119°W  / 42.2685; -71.8119 Sturbridge, Massachusetts Sturbridge

2156-632: Was first visited by the English Puritans in 1644 when John Winthrop the Younger visited the area now known as Tantiusques . Winthrop II bought the land from Tantasqua (local area sachem) and mined graphite, lead, and iron. The mine stayed in the Winthrop family as late as 1784 and was in operation until 1910. Sturbridge was first settled by the English in 1729 by settlers from Medfield , and

2205-458: Was founded. Edward Carl Anton (E.C.A.) Becker founded Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts , in 1887 and served as its president from 1887 through 1907. Becker was born in Peoria, Illinois , on April 30, 1855. He attended Peoria Bryant & Stratton Business College , graduating from both the business and telegraph departments. Following graduation, he served as a teacher and principal at

2254-499: Was home to Leicester Academy , founded in 1784. The campus was situated within the town common, which in the 18th century, consisted of a tavern, a meetinghouse and the first home built in Leicester, now known as the May House. Colonel Ebenezer Crafts of Sturbridge and Jacob Davis of Charlton saw a need to provide schooling for children of modest families who lived in Central Massachusetts. The state legislature

2303-492: Was officially incorporated in 1738. New Medfield and Dummer (after Governor William Dummer ) were considered as town names before the town was named after Stourbridge , England . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 39.0 square miles (101 km ), of which 37.4 square miles (97 km ) is land and 1.5 square miles (4 km ), or 3.95%, is water. Sturbridge

2352-561: Was petitioned, funds were raised and, in 1784, Leicester Academy was founded. The charter was signed by Governor John Hancock , and Samuel Adams , President of the Massachusetts State Senate ; major benefactors included Moses Gill , a future lieutenant governor. It was the third academy founded in post-independence Massachusetts, after the founding of Governor Dummer Academy at Byfield in 1782 and of Phillips Academy at Andover in 1778. Samuel C. Crafts , son of

2401-789: Was the first team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The soccer, tennis, field hockey, golf, basketball, baseball, volleyball and softball teams competed in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC). The football team was a member of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC). Men's ice hockey was an associate member of the CCC. Women's lacrosse was a member of the New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA). Men's lacrosse

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