The Wellsworth Hotel (Formerly Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center), Southbridge MA
The upscale Wellsworth Hotel is not small, or intimate. It won’t stop you in your tracks stylistically. It was built for large groups as a conference center, and, near Brimfield, hosts hundreds of antique-hunters who swarm here for the thrice a year Brimfield Antique Flea Market Show.
But if you’re curious about scientific Americana, or optical innovations during the Industrial Age – and if you are in the throes of a love affair with a like-minded soul – you’ll both groove to the backstory, not to mention the comfort, of this place.
The Wellsworth Hotel – until early 2024, the Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center – does have quite a story. And not only because it’s a conference center rebranding in name and purpose (to generate more business from independent travelers).
(For more Weekending Ideas in Massachusetts, check out this Best Romantic Getaways in MA post).
History of the Wellsworth Hotel
On the surface, this story is a tale of eyewear and lenses – glasses and spectacles that aided eyesights around the world.
But it’s also the story of a inventors – both male and female, as well as US Presidents and other celebrities; protective wear for A Bomb tests; fiber optics; and the founding of nearby Sturbridge Village (see below).
How? What? Well, the Wellsworth Hotel used to be the global headquarters and manufacturing plant of the prestigious American Optical, credited with owning 50%-75% market share of all worldwide eyewear in the mid 20th Century. Southbridge MA was unofficially called “The Eye of the Commonwealth” for that very reason.
American Optical was sold off in pieces by the early 2000’s – merging with SOLA (Scientific Optical Laboratories Australia) and Zeiss.
What to do with the factory that once employed 5,500 people? Tear most of it down, leave the centerpiece clocktower building, built in 1901, standing, and turn the rest into the Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center. Rebranded as The Wellsworth, the name harks back to the company’s Lifestyle Magazine in the early 1900’s, which was itself named for a type of eyeglass lens – the Wellsworth Crookes.
First Impressions of the Wellsworth Hotel
The rebranding of the Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center into The Wellsworth is so new, even my GPS and Google Maps had not registered the change.
Of palatial proportions, the Wellsworth complex is split into conference and hotel wings. But, unless you’re heading to a meeting, there’s no need to traipse over to that section of the building.
Reception staff is incredibly friendly, as I’ve found with other large meeting hotels throughout the region looking to draw leisure and independent travelers.
Unlike other conference centers, however, this one has that great story of Yankee ingenuity and manufacturing prowess. And your first clue is a sculpture that can been seen from many guest room windows: a pair of spectacles.
Flood Lines and National Historical Register Plaque
The preserved 2-story brick center of the hotel – left in homage to American Optical – is to the right of the check in desk. There you can see a plaque commemorating not the hotel itself, but what was here before 2002, and the optical inventions that were manufactured on this spot.
Since 1936, Southbridge has endured three massive flood events, and each is marked on the high brick wall. The lowest, in 1936, was roughly 4 or so feet. In 1938, the water reached 8 ft. And, in 1955 – the flood levels reached 15 feet, halfway into the second floor. That one nearly closed American Optical for good (but it rebounded).
Spiral Staircase and Marble Fireplace
After you check in, head up a set of stairs to the right of the flood line marked wall. This will lead you to the main lobby of the original American Optical’s executive suite building.
There’s a small museum alcove at the base of the stunning white marble and whitewashed wrought iron spiral staircase, showcasing artifacts from American Optical.
Climb the curvy stairs to the top to gape at the architectural element that steals the show: the Carrara Marble fireplace. It’s no wonder both the staircase and fireplace are popular settings for wedding and event photos.
Rooms At The Wellsworth
Although not glitzy, guest rooms are bright, and freshened up in appealing, traditional furnishings. Most are spacious: and suites, outrageously so. I could have hosted a party for several dozen people, with room to spare.
I often judge hotel rooms by the comfort of the bed and the proximity and number of electrical outlets readily available. Here, the bed, capped with a white textured quilt and crisp sheets, sent me immediately off to dreamland.
Plus, I didn’t have to pull furniture from the wall or crawl around to find places to plug in my phone and computer. Incredibly handy: two outlets were right on the nightstand.
For now, bathrooms are what I’d call “vintage” 1990’s. But, though not luxe, they are clean and bright, and fine for their purpose.
Order Charcuterie Board and Bottle Of Wine To Make it Romantic
To turn your room into a love nest, order an Instagram-pretty charcuterie board (really, one of the loveliest I’ve ever seen), a bottle of wine, and perhaps a box of truffle chocolates. Then, cuddle up and enjoy.
Dining at The Wellsworth – Formerly Southbridge Hotel and Conference Center
Shades (get it – sunglasses!) Bar and Lounge is open every evening for dinner and drinks. It tends to fill up quickly – and even mid-week in May, the place swarmed with guests. Visions Restaurant serves its breakfast buffet only on Saturdays and Sundays. (Visions is used at other times for conferences).
Pool, Gym, and Racquetball
The Wellsworth Hotel indoor pool is massive – and a hot spot for families and kids. The gym is also large – with plenty of equipment. But what a surprise to find two indoor racquetball courts. This is a unique perk for guests who can’t let a day go without playing.
Things to do Near the Wellsworth Hotel
GO: Optical Heritage Museum Proudly Sponsored By Zeiss, Southbridge
Of course, the Optical Heritage Museum, now sponsored by Zeiss, is housed in a repurposed building (a former dog food cannery) in downtown Southbridge – just a 3 minute drive from the Wellsworth Hotel.
Within its exhibits on two floors, you might be surprised to find out just how important American Optical innovations were over the company’s lifetime.
You’re in for a treat if Dick Whitney – who worked at AO in lens testing and Quality Control from 1975 until it closed and was sold in pieces – is your guide. He’s the Board’s Executive Director, and the keeper of the flame, so to speak.
American Optical’s Humble Beginnings
From its humble beginnings in 1833 – as William Beecher’s jewelry and watch shop, which made the frames for imported lenses – to its incorporation in 1869 as the American Optical Co. led by Robert Cole – and then the world’s largest optical company by 1879 – AO’s innovations and technological advances changed the world.
In 1891, George Washington Wells succeeded Cole. With his three sons, Channing, Albert, and Cheney (known as the “triumvirate”), G. Wells ran the company until his death in 1912. (Albert would go on to establish Old Sturbridge Village in 1944, along with his daughter in law).
A Genius Woman Astronomer
Under the Wells Brothers, AO was both ahead of its time and full steam ahead. A prominent photo in the first gallery depicts a typical 1920 gathering of scientists and executives around a conference table: typical, that is, with one notable exception. A woman – dressed in a dark suit – is obviously not a secretary. She is one of the guys.
This is Dr. Anna Estelle Glancy, a brilliant PhD astronomer who is credited with designing the first patented progressive lens in 1924. That the Wells Brothers agreed to hire her – long before the misogynist “Lessons in Chemistry” era – is a testament to their open minds at the time. Glancy also worked on protective glasses to use while observing Atom bomb tests.
Most importantly, she developed the American Optical Lensometer in 1921 – a device used to measure lens power and establish eyeglass prescriptions. An updated form of the apparatus is still in use.
More Amazing Stories
American Optical eyeglasses have been worn by Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver, Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer, Elton John at the piano, and many more. The company’s cat eye design inspired the white glasses worn by Barbie on her debut in 1959.
But one of AO’s biggest fans was John F. Kennedy, who swung through Southbridge MA on his Senatorial run in 1958, stopping into the company’s manufacturing plant. He made the Saratoga style sunglasses so famous, it put AO on the map for a new generation of eyeglass wearers.
Kennedy also loved the brand’s Executive Bi-Focals, and had ordered three of them. AO received the order on the day Kennedy was shot and killed. (Kennedy’s order request is on display).
VISIT: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge
10 minute drive from Southbridge
My love of Living History Museums stems from my very first elementary school field trip in the 1960’s – to Old Sturbridge Village. On 200 acres, OSV is one of the oldest and largest of such museums in the USA.
Like most 10-year-olds, I was fascinated by people who wore weird, olden-days clothing, cooked over live fires, dipped candles, spun carded wool into yarn, and pounded red-hot iron into tools and nails: elaborating on each process as they worked. It was like stumbling on some incredible secrets. Who needed electricity, anyway?
Decades later, Old Sturbridge Village hasn’t changed much. A recreated village that hews to the practices of an 1830’s rural New England town, impressively informed costumed interpreters are just waiting for you to converse with them as they go about their chores and businesses. Most amazingly, they stay in character throughout.
What to See and Do at Old Sturbridge Village
There are 40 historic buildings on site, including homes, trade shops, museums, farms, water-powered mills, restaurants and shops. You can spend all day wandering in and out of each one, joining season-specific programs, talks, and demonstrations all year round.
Tinners craft lanterns and other household items from sheet iron. Blacksmiths shape iron rods into horseshoes, nails, and tools. Cobblers create shoes from leather pieces.
Potters source clay right from the ground, fire up the kiln with wood chopped on site, and sell their glazed wares in the gift shop.
A banker at Thompson Bank is at the ready to explain how money worked back in 1830 – with each bank creating its own legal tender. And printers work the printing press to demonstrate how labor intensive it was to set up type.
You might come upon women near the town green, dipping yarn-wool in boiling pots of water to dye – and learn the art of natural coloring, or enter a home and watch as “housewives” cook harvested food over an open hearth.
You can ask farmers and gardeners what they’re doing, visit just-born animals (sheep are the cutest), and learn about 1830’s childbirth from a midwife of the time.
Don’t forget to pick up something from one of two gift shops. The one on the Village Green still sells the same kind of Rock Candy that I purchased over 50 years ago. Check website for hours and cost of admission.
