Historical photo of group of peopleIn addition to hundreds of books about the Battle of Lexington, Cary Library has a substantial collection of materials on life in Lexington from the Colonial and Revolutionary periods to the present day. These materials are found in the Lexington Collection and the Edwin B. Worthen Collection.

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The Edwin B. Worthen Collection

Street photoDonated to Cary Library in 1976, the Edwin B. Worthen Collection documents life in Lexington from the early 19th to the mid-20th centuries. 
In addition to approximately 500 books, the Worthen Collection includes:

manuscripts maps   correspondence
pamphlets scrapbooks   research notes
photographs drawings   memorabilia
lantern slides sketches   vertical file materials

These materials may be explored in the Edwin B. Worthen Collection and detailed Finding Aid [PDF] (description of the collection). 

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The Lexington Collection

Materials in the Lexington Collection include published histories, Town reports, planning and zoning studies, Lexington High School yearbooks, family histories, newspapers, vital records, voting lists, street directories and vertical file materials, as well as histories of surrounding towns. These may be found by searching for specific topics in the Minuteman Library Network’s catalog or by browsing through a detailed listing of local history materials and resources [PDF].

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Other Important Lexington Resources

Additional history-related resources in Lexington include the following:

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American Ancestors
Dozens of genealogical databases from the New England Historic Genealogical Society, including full text of the New England Historical and Genealogical Record, The Search for Missing Friends, and Massachusetts Vital Records 1841-1910
Ancestry.com
*In-Library Access Only* Thousands of family history databases, including vital records, census records, ship passenger lists, military records and lots more!
Family Search
Discover your family history. Explore the world's largest collection of free family trees, genealogy records and resources.
HeritageQuest
A digital resource that combines searchable images of U.S. federal genealogical census records with digitized books containing family and local histories from around the country. It includes 25,000 family and local history books, U.S. census records, and PERSI, an index of over 1.6 million genealogy and local history articles.
Digital Commonwealth
Digital Commonwealth is the statewide digital repository for Massachusetts, providing resources and services to support the creation, management, and dissemination of cultural heritage materials held by libraries, museums, historical societies, and archives. Digital Commonwealth’s mission is to provide access to thousands of images, documents, and sound recordings that have been digitized by member institutions so that they may be available to researchers, students, and the general public. Free digitization services are provided by the Boston Public Library as part of the Library for the Commonwealth program. Digital Commonwealth is also the state hub to the Digital Public Library of America.