Just as the Memorial Hospital started out in the mansion of Samuel Davis, the City Hospital had its beginnings in the Bigelow Mansion. However, rather than private funding, it was created on may 23, 1871 by an act of state legislature.

In the fifties I worked at City Hospital on and off as an orderly or housekeeper. My buddy Jack McGuinness and I used to often trade jobs when either of us got fired from housekeepering or nursing. On the one occasion that we were working together in housekeeping they made the mistake of letting us assist some painters in painting the lobby of the old hospital lobby. On either side of the lobby hung portraits of 18th century Worcester luminaries Mr Jacques and Mr Thayer. Jack and I took down both portraits so the walls could painted. Beneath each portrait were brass plates bearing the names of the above personage. We left thee in place. When it was time to replace the portraits we decided that we would see if the luminaries fame had seriously declined in the minds of their fellow Worcesterites, especially those in charge of City Hospital. We screwed Mr Jacques portrait to the wall over Mr Thayer's nameplate and vice versa. For years I would check and found nobody was the wiser. Ah, fame is so fickle! Bob Doyle