Worcester's Forgotten Catacombs: History of Worcester's Underground World

by Charles W. Longeway Sr.

This book is about the secret catacombs, more than thirty rooms forty feet below the ground, that exist in the heart of the City of Worcester, Massachusetts. Discovered in the early 1900s, the time of origin and purpose are still in question. Read about the activities that took place in the rooms of the catacombs that were reported through stories told almost a century ago. Take this adventure into the past, where you will find more questions than answers about this secret underground labyrinth. The author presents his research in an effort to explain how the extensive catacombs could have come into existence. The reader is encouraged to continue the quest of bringing this story out of the darkness and into the light. This book may inspire you to join the search of uncovering missing information needed to solve this amazing puzzle.

Genres: History

131 pages, Paperback

Published October 9, 2015

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Forty feet underground, in the heart of this city, unknown to thousands who pass above them day in and out in the drab round of traffic, there exists an amazing labyrinth of subterranean rooms and passages.”

This is a fascinating and incredibly well researched look into the hidden catacombs that run beneath Worcester, MA. I really enjoyed reading the original newspaper article transcriptions and was amazed by the amount of research conducted by the author, for whom this has been a lifelong quest. I especially loved the sections where the author hypothesized and interpreted, as well as the fascinating section on conspiracy theories (lack of pertinent info, disappearance and removal of applicable historical records, etc.). I also felt fully satisfied with the author’s proposed final hypothesis, which I won’t reveal here to avoid spoilers.

I loved how the author expresses his hope that the truth lies somewhere, and I believe that it must. An undertaking of this magnitude would certainly have been designed or photographed or drawn or written about or recorded in some way somewhere (plans, diaries, letters, etc.). The truth, and the missing records, have to be somewhere — locked away in a basement, packed away in an attic, or hidden in some secret safe. Consider me fully interested, invested, and curious to know more!