In 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.
The Edwin B. Worthen Collection
Donated 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 Worthen Finding Aid [PDF] (description of the collection).
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].
Other Important Lexington Resources
Additional history-related resources in Lexington include the following:
- Canavan Papers - Michael Joseph Canavan's typewritten manuscript detailing early life in Lexington.
- David Reiner Papers - The David Reiner Papers consist of documents concerning the work of the Lexington Civil Rights Committee between 1960-1972 and the Lexington/Boston Fair Housing Federation from 1961-1965. A Finding Aid [PDF] is available.
- A Calendar History of Lexington, Massachusetts 1620-1946 by Edwin B Worthen and Life in Lexington 1946 through 1995 by Alice M Hinkle and Andrea Cleghorn - two Lexington Savings Bank publications providing a chronology of Lexington events spanning 1620-1995.
- Discover Your Home's History: Resources
- Lexington Heritage Portal
- Lexington Historical Commission
- Lexington Historical Society
- Lexington Minuteman Newspaper - Full page and article images and searchable full text from the Lexington Minuteman and other historical Lexington newspapers.
- Remote Access - search up to 1974 available for researchers anywhere
- In Library Access - search up to 2005 (for researchers at the Library)
- Newsbank* Access - search 2005-present, text only (remote access restricted to Lexington residents)
- Lexington Yearbooks Archive - In collaboration with the Lexington High School Library and the Lexington Historical Society, we have digitized yearbooks from 1935 on. This collection was digitized through the Boston Public Library's Library for the Commonwealth program.
- Town of Lexington Archives and Public Records
American Ancestors (In-Library only access)
Dozens of genealogical databases from the New England Historic Genealogical Society.
Ancestry.com (In-Library only access)
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.