Barre (/ˈbæri/ BARR-ee) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.

[1] Located on the ancestral homeland of the Nipmuc, the area was first settled by Europeans in 1720 and referred to as the Northwest District of Rutland.

The next year on November 7, 1776, it was renamed Barre in honor of Colonel Isaac Barré, an Irish-born MP who was a champion of American Independence.

"This township was originally known as Rutland, West District; but prior to 1770 its name was changed to "Hutchinson", in honor of the Hon.

The project was revived in 1869, but it was re-routed to run between Worcester and Gardner, bypassing Barre.

[3] On April 11, 1943, Barre held a civic welcome for Basil Izzi, a local man who was a United States Navy Armed Guard and had recently survived 83 days in the Atlantic Ocean on a life raft after his ship, the Zaandam, was torpedoed.

Barre is bordered by Hubbardston to the northeast, Rutland and Oakham to the southeast, New Braintree to the south, Hardwick to the southwest, Petersham to the northwest, and a small portion of Phillipston to the north.

Barre is part of the Quabbin Regional School District along with, Hardwick, Hubbardston, New Braintree, and Oakham.