WORCESTER, Mass. - Worcester’s Valentine’s Day history started with an idea in 1847 after Esther Howland received a valentine from a secret admirer.

“She gets an assembled, multi-layered valentine and says ‘I can do this’,” Worcester Historical Museum executive director, William Wallace, said.

Howland created hundreds of multi-layer, lace valentines. Some said she was better at making them than anyone else.  “And it’s history. They made hundreds of valentines, multiple sizes, all sorts of different designs,” Wallace said. “Each one was hand crafted from a pile of lace and scraps.”

Howland sold her valentines out of her father’s stationery shop in Worcester. But, just a town over, she had some competition from the Taft family in Grafton. 

“In 1871, they merged as New England Valentine Company,” Wallace said.  

What You Need To Know

  • Esther Howland starting making valentines in Worcester after receiving one from a secret admirer in 1847
  • Howland partnered with other local makers and grew Worcester into a valentine manufacturing hub 
  • Howland's designs still inspire the valentines we gift each other today 
  • A bench dedicated to Howland sits next to City Hall in Worcester

After that, Worcester became was a hub for producing and creating valentines. A giant lace valentine bench sits next to city hall to prove it. It tells the tale of how Howland helped the city ​become more than just the heart of the Commonwealth. 

"(Howland) is well known. Her valentines are very collectible," Wallace said. "She is a popular artist in the craft valentines industry."

The industry exploded with the invention of the four colored printing press and finally put Worcester on the valentine map. Wallace said it ramped up production and helped manufactures make millions of valentines. 

Howland's designs still inspire the valentines we gift each other today and you could say every card comes with a little piece of Worcester.

"Celebrate Worcester. Celebrate Valentine's Day," Wallace said. "No, we didn't make the first valentine, but we certainly were the heart and soul of the American valentine industry."

For more on Worcester's valentine history, click here.