Hale Street
From Worcester Activist wiki
Also CAROLINE ST.
The man who wrote “The Man Without a Country” spent 10 of his 87 years in Worcester.
Rev. Edward Everett Hale, ordained in 1846, came to Worcester as pastor of the newly-founded Church of the Unity.
He was a mighty man, a thunderer from the pulpit, with a fierce love of his country and an equal hatred for injustice. Few men in his time achieved such stature.
“They spoiled the best newspaper man of his day by making a minister of him,” growled Samuel Bowles, editor and publisher of the Springfield Republican.
The Missouri Compromise in 1820 provided that north of the “36-30” parallel the territory was free as far as the troublesome question of slavery was concerned. But the Kansas-Nebraska Bill contained a clause that the first settlers could determine whether or not they wanted slavery.
Eli Thayer of Worcester was determined that the first settlers would be men opposed to slavery. He founded the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company.
Hale was on the executive committee.
“Mr. Thayer bade me say that there would be two thousand men from Massachusetts there in a short time,” wrote Hale in an article on the Kansas emigration. “The prophecy of this was more than fulfilled.”
Hale was one of the first Americans for establishment of an international court to insure world peace.
He advocated Civil Service Reform years before it became a law. He fought for immigrant, minority rights and justice for Indians.
In Worcester he was asked to serve on the School Committee; chose instead the Board of Overseers of the Poor.
He was recording secretary, vice-president and president of the American Antiquarian Society, one of the founders of the Natural History Society and Worcester Public Library.
He died in Roxbury on June 10, 1909.
Hale street, named in 1872, honors his name. It runs from Grafton street east to Plantation street.
Caroline street, extending from Grafton street east to Plantation street, also stems from Hale.
He wrote a novel whose leading character was Fred Greenleaf.
The hero’s wife was named Caroline.
The core of this article comes from A History of Your City Streets.
