BlockBefore
Decorative drawing: a small American settlement seen from a low hill. Not a photograph of this place.

Webster, Massachusetts

42 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Webster town. It lies in ZIP code area 01570. It stands on Potash Brook. The Survey maps it on the Webster quadrangle. 12,194 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 463 feet above sea level.

Webster within Worcester County

Population over time

2 figures

Webster grew from 11,412 to 12,194 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201011,412
202012,194+782 (+7%)

Then and now

1889 to 1989

The same ground, surveyed 100 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Webster, surveyed 1989
Topographic sheet of Webster, surveyed 1889

Topographic sheets covering this place

42 sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires nearby

46 since 2007

The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 46 fires within 5 miles of Webster between 2007 and 2020, burning about 18 acres in total. None started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning22
Missing data/not specified/undetermined10
Recreation and ceremony7
Arson/incendiarism2
Smoking2
Equipment and vehicle use1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Railroad operations and maintenance1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 August 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
6 August 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
22 August 2020Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
28 July 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreConnecticut Division of Forestry1405 RIVERSIDE DR, THOMPSON
26 July 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreConnecticut Division of Forestry18 WILSONVILLE RD, THOMPSON
25 July 2007Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachussetts State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
8 June 2020Railroad operations and maintenanceunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
8 June 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Worcester County

Specimens collected nearby

12 of 409 shown

Museums hold 409 specimens collected within 10 miles of Webster between 1857 and 1975: 209 Animalia, 157 Plantae, 30 Fungi, 10 Protozoa, 2 Chromista, 1 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. S. Pease, Agassiz, Agassiz, Alexander Emanuel Rodolphe and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
A photograph of the species Hyla versicolor, not of this specimenHyla versicolor LeConte, 18251857Weinland, David Friedrich
A photograph of the species Bufo americanus, not of this specimenBufo americanus Holbrook, 18361859not recorded
A photograph of the species Pseudacris crucifer, not of this specimenPseudacris crucifer (Wied-Neuwied, 1838)1859Weinland, David Friedrich
A photograph of the species Rana pipiens, not of this specimenRana pipiens Schreber, 17821859Weinland, David Friedrich
A photograph of the species Rana sylvatica, not of this specimenRana sylvatica LeConte, 18251859Agassiz, Jean Louis Rodolphe
A photograph of the species Notophthalmus viridescens, not of this specimenNotophthalmus viridescens (Rafinesque, 1820)1860Agassiz
A photograph of the species Clemmys insculpta, not of this specimenClemmys insculpta Fitzinger, 18351864Salmin
A photograph of the species Clemmys guttata, not of this specimenClemmys guttata (Schneider, 1792)1869Salmin
A photograph of the species Coccyzus erythropthalmus, not of this specimenCoccyzus erythropthalmus (A.Wilson, 1811)1875Francois Hue
Sterna hirundo hirundo Linnaeus, 17581892Babbitt, J PMassachusetts
Accipiter striatus Vieillot, 18081894not recordedMASSACHUSETTS: Ponkahog
Ammodramus caudacutus (J.F.Gmelin, 1788)1896W. J. WirtMASSACHUSETTS: North Town

All 409 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries nearby

10 of 15 shown

The federal mineral resources record lists 15 workings within 5 miles of Webster: 13 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
New Haven Traprock Co. QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Charlton PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Leo Construction CoSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Minarik PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Minarik PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Old Webster Road PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Ricciardi Asphalt CoSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Robbins Sand and GravelSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Southbridge PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Sunny Shores, Inc. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Worcester County

Storms nearby

21 since 1998

The National Weather Service names Webster in 21 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 13 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 2 flood, 2 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2018Tornado (EF1)Webster1 hurt, $5,000,000In just about one minute, an EF-1 tornado, with maximum winds estimated at 110 mph, wreaked havoc in the easternmost portion of Dudley, MA and in the downtown portion of Webster, MA. It touched down along Route 12 (Schofield Avenue) to the west of Laprise Court in Dudley and traveled northeastward onto Main Street in Webster, then lifted near the French River by Oxford Avenue. ||Many trees were snapped and debarked. In Webster, a gas station overhang was twisted. An old brick rooftop was damaged, with bricks having fallen onto Main Street. The rubber roof covering of another building was peeled completely off. Windows were blown out at a business on Main Street and the street was littered with broken glass. The side walls of an apartment complex were bent slightly outward toward the tornado. Window screens were sucked outward. A car windshield and side mirror was damaged. There were other reports of trees fallen onto cars. Utility poles were snapped and numerous wires were downed. According to MEMA, at least 3 buildings were condemned and at least 5 were uninhabitable.||Nearly everyone that our survey team spoke with had heard the warning via the Wireless Emergency Alert on their cell phones as much as 20+ minutes in advance of the touchdown! This undoubtedly played a big role in the fact that there were no fatalities. According to media reports, there was one minor injury when part of a roof fell on top of a woman's car.
June 2023LightningWebster$100,000In Webster at 411 PM EDT (311 PM EST), lightning caused a house fire on Colonial Road. Subsequent follow-up with the fire department revealed that there was $100,000 in water damage to the home from extinguishing the fire.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindWebster$25,000no account filed
June 2021LightningWebster$20,000In Webster, lightning caused a 2.5-story house to catch fire on School Street.
August 2021Tornado (EF0)Webster$10,000A weak tornado touched town in the town of |Thompson in northern Windham County, Connecticut. A NWS |meteorologist conducted a storm survey following tips from amateur |radio operators and local broadcast meteorologists. The following |information summarizes all of the reports. ||The tornado touched down near a red barn near the intersection of |Quinebaug Road (Route 131) and Riverside Drive (Route 12). It was |reported to be about 50 yards wide and tracked northeastward in a |discontinuous path, impacting areas just south of Ryler Court at |Riverside Drive, Wilsonville Road, Wagher Road, and Denis Drive at |Labby Road. It then crossed the Massachusetts/Connecticut state |line and ended as a waterspout in Lake Chaubunagungamaug. Although |discontinuous, the total path length was 4.7 miles. The approximate |path width was 50 yards. Damage photos led to estimates of maximum |wind speeds of 80 to 85 mph, which puts this on the upper end of |the EF0 category of the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The time, based on |radar and eyewitness accounts, was from 1015 AM to 1024 AM EDT. ||More specifically, when the tornado touched down near Backwater |Brook, it snapped several trees in half in a convergent fashion. |It caused minor backyard damage at a nearby property before felling |numerous trees and power lines near the intersection of Riverside |Drive and Ryler Court. Tree damage was also reported at Wilsonville |Road and several trees were snapped in the backyard of a house near |Wagher Road and Forest Hill Drive. A tree was partially snapped near |Denis Drive at Labby Road before causing minor damage near Woods |Grove. Finally, multiple residents witnessed a waterspout over Lake |Chaubunagungamaug before dissipating near Killdeer Island.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindWebster$10,000no account filed
October 2020Thunderstorm WindWebster$5,000In Webster, a tree was on 3rd Street, on Loveland Street, and a tree was down on a house on Anthony Street.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindWebster$5,000A tree was downed on a car on Slater Street.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindWebster$5,000Wires on Perryville Road were downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindWebster$4,000In Webster, multiple trees and wires were down on Highland Street. One tree fell onto the side of a house. One utility pole was snapped. Also, multiple wires were down on School Street.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindWebster$4,000In Dudley, two trees were down on Flaxfield Road -- one fell onto a house.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindWebster$1,000In webster, trees and wires were reported down on Lakeside Avenue.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindWebster$500In Dudley, a tree was down on Chase Ave.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindWebster$300In Webster, a tree was down blocking most of Ardlock Place near the intersection with West Main St.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindWebster$300In Webster, wires were down on Lake Parkway.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindWebster-In Webster, a trained spotter estimated a wind gust to 60 mph.
June 2017HailWebster-At 433 PM EST, a trained spotter reported nickel-size hail at Webster.
August 2016FloodWebster-Flooding was observed on Pine Street from Mill Street to Oxford Avenue.
August 2016FloodWebster-Water one foot deep flooded the intersection of Oxford Avenue and Pine Street.
May 2006HailWebster-no account filed
July 1998Thunderstorm WindWebster-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Worcester County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Merino Village (historical)0.4 miles42
Merino Village0.5 miles42
Fennerville0.9 miles42
Sunnyside0.9 miles42
Chaseville1.1 miles42
East Village1.1 miles43
Perryville1.8 miles42
Wawela Park2.3 miles43

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on WebsterAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q7978881The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 610298. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.