Ramshorn Island is an unusual and often forgotten park that acquired by the city in 1919. It is located in Lake Quinsigamond under Route 9’s Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge.

Park access to Ramshorn Island from the old bridge was removed during $89-million bridge rebuild over the past few years. The park is currently only accessible by boat. The staircase that used to connect the old bridge to the island was removed due to homeless encampments, drug use, and dumping on the island.

Ramshorn Island has historically been home to various boat clubs on Lake Quinsig – the Wachusett Boat Club and the Worcester Motor Boat Club. These organizations used a clubhouse was on the island at various times, starting as early as 1888.

During one period, hotels had been built on the island. The Quinsigamond House was run by Jesse Johnson Coburn.

Coburn also developed ‘Lincoln Park’ which was a very early amusement park. It was located where the Lincoln Park Tower, the Worcester Housing Authority property, sits right on the shore next to the bridge and across from Ramshorn Island. At that time, a footbridge connected Ramshorn Island and Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park used to have a carousel, which according to some online discussions appears to have ended up at the Carousel Center Mall in Syracuse, New York.

Ramshorn Island was most heavily used when the lake’s bridge was called the ‘causeway’ (this bridge was built during the civil war years) and split the lake in half. Ramshorn island was connected directly to the Causeway.

This park currently has no amenities. It is hilly and lined with naturalized trees.