Built in 1900 in honor of Worcester native, George Bancroft, the former Secretary of the Navy, diplomat, and founder of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. As an educator and historian, Bancroft had a number of friends in high places both before and during his illustrious time in the Navy. Among them was railroad baron Stephen Salisbury II with whom Bancroft had grown up with. After Bancroft’s death, Salisbury’s son used $15,000 of his family’s money to build the Bancroft Tower in honor of his father’s boyhood chum.

Designed by Earle and Fisher, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 56 foot tall tower was built using horses and carriages to transport the large stones up Prospect Hill. It did not become a park until 1912, when the Trustees of the Worcester Art Museum donated it to the city (Stephen Salisbury III left much of his estate to the Art Museum). Salisbury Park itself extends down almost to Park Ave, as it includes both of the wooded areas that line Massachusetts Ave. 

A new addition to Salisbury Park is a newly cut trail segment of Park Spirit’s East West Trail that runs through the steep, wooded area of the park – leading down to Park Ave towards Institute Park. The trail had been overgrown for many years and it was only during the summer of 2016 that the Park Stewards Summer Workers recut the trail to incorporate it into the cross-city East West Trail. 

The tower was open to the general public until the 1980’s. Now, you need to obtain a permit through the city to check out the inside. The city encourages people to go take a look at the tower between opening hours.

Park Spirit opened the Tower to the general public in 2014. Prior to this open house, the Tower was open to the general public on an inconsistent and intermittent basis. The Greater Hammond Heights Neighborhood Association (serving the neighborhood around the Tower and the homes on Prospect Hill) has held private/neighborhood events at the Tower over the years, such as their well known ‘Haunted House’ event in October.