A Million Lives Lead Back To Worcester | Defector

"Technically, it is the intersection of state routes 290 and 122 in what is now called the Canal District of Worcester, Massachusetts. But that's like calling Cape Horn the intersection of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Seven different streets also feed into Kelley Square, and navigating it used to be pure survival skills. Traffic regulations were largely suggestions, and right of way was largely a matter of kill or be killed."

"The Square once was the beginning of my grandfather's beat when Patrick J. Pierce was a patrolman in the Worcester P.D. He would begin to walk his post at the Hotel Vernon, which still stands like a hot-sheet Angkor Wat over Kelley Square. Upstairs, my other grandfather, Charlie Gibbons, owner and operator of the Macey Sign Company, would be playing poker or plotting political intrigue with his cronies."

Kelley Square is the chaotic convergence of state routes 290 and 122 plus seven additional streets in Worcester's Canal District. The intersection historically forced aggressive driving, where traffic rules were suggestions and right of way felt like survival, earning a reputation as the state's most dangerous intersection and remaining in top-10 lists even after a 2019 redevelopment. The Hotel Vernon anchors the Square and housed both a police beat and a lively bar scene including the Kelley Square Yacht Club. Family connections tie patrolman Patrick J. Pierce and signmaker Charlie Gibbons to the Square's enforcement and nightlife, and local lore even includes Babe Ruth sliding a beer along the bar.

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