Webster

Understand

Webster, like most of Central Massachusetts, is the homeland of the Nipmuc peoples. A small band of the Nipmuc, Webster/Dudley Band of Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck Indians, is based out of Webster and the neighboring towns of Dudley and Thompson, Connecticut. Europeans colonized the area that is now Webster in 1713. The present-day town was incorporated on March 6, 1832; it formed out of sections of Dudley and Oxford, and a previously unassigned portion of land known as a gore. The primary founder of the town was the industrialist Samuel Slater, one of the individuals who sparked the Industrial Revolution in the United States. He named the town after the statesman Daniel Webster, who was a friend of his. Historically, Webster was thus an important textile manufacturing town. Most of the industry eventually moved out during the 20th century. By that point, Webster was a popular tourist attraction because of Lake Chaubunagungamaug, or Webster Lake, and remains so today.

Get in

By car

Webster is located on I-395, which connects the town to Worcester in the north as well as the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) for travelers coming from east or west. I-395 runs south into Connecticut all the way to I-95 in New London. You can also enter from MA Rt 197 from the south in Dudley, from the north by MA Rt 12 from Oxford, or from the south by the same route from Putnam, Connecticut, going through Thompson. You can also take MA Rt 193 from Thompson into Webster, where that route terminates.

By public transportation

Webster can be reached from Worcester using the Worcester Regional Transit Authority's Route 42 Bus.

By plane

The nearest commercial airport is Worcester Regional Airport in Worcester, about 25 minutes away from Webster. Add 5-10 minutes if heading somewhere in Dudley. It has daily service to JFK International Airport in New York as well as occasional flights to destinations in Florida.

Get around

By car

Webster is easily navigated by car. Most attractions are located either on or close to the main thoroughfares (Route 12 and Route 16). Main Street and East Main Street can be congested during the morning and mid and late afternoon, but otherwise traffic is usually not a problem.

By public transportation

Parts of Webster and Dudley can be accessed by bus using either the Worcester Regional Transit Authority Route 42 or Webster-Dudley-Southbridge Shuttle. These routes serve downtown Webster and Main St leading in either direction, but not much else.

On foot

Downtown Webster and the neighboring bits of Dudley are walkable, but the two towns cover a fairly large land area and reaching places outside of downtown on foot will require lengthy walks in areas without any pedestrian infrastructure.

Go next

Visit Worcester to take in a baseball game, a museum, or see a concert, explore nearby Putnam and Connecticut's Quiet Corner, or experience early 19th-century New England at Old Sturbridge Village.