There are many resources available online for those interested in learning about the history of Lancaster, which are free and accessible to the public. These include books that have been scanned and made searchable, photographs that had been digitized, and video recordings of programs on Lancaster history.
A number of books on Lancaster History have been digitized and are available online. These digital scans are entirely searchable and downloadable.
- History of the Town of Lancaster, Massachusetts: From the first settlement to the present time, 1643-1879 by Reverend Abijah P. Marvin (1879)
- Early Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts, 1653-1725 edited by Henry S. Nourse (1884)
- The Military Annals of Lancaster, Massachusetts, 1740-1865 by Henry S. Nourse (1889)
- The Birth, Marriage, and Death Register, Church Records and Epitaphs of Lancaster, Massachusetts, 1643-1850 edited by Henry S. Nourse (1890)
- The Story of Colonial Lancaster, Massachusetts by Marion Fuller Safford (1937)
In addition to these books, Thayer Memorial Library has made Henry S. Nourse’s Annotated copy of The History of the Town of available through Digital Commonwealth. Nourse, often considered the Town’s historian, broke the single volume book into three, tripling the size of the book with his extensive notations, inserts, and marginalia.
- Volume 1 / Volume 1 Searchable PDF
- Volume 2 / Volume 2 Searchable PDF
- Volume 3 / Volume 3 Searchable PDF
Also available is A miscellaneous collection of historical papers and memoranda relating to the history and geography of Lancaster compiled by Henry S. Nourse around 1880. The searchable PDF of this volume can be found here.
The First Church of Lancaster has had their historical records, dating back to 1708, digitized through the Congressional Library and Archives. These records are available to view here.
Digital Commonwealth provides access to photographs, manuscripts, books, audio recordings, and other materials of historical interest that have been digitized and made available by libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies from across Massachusetts.
Thayer Memorial Library hosts images from our archives collection via Digital Commonwealth, which can be viewed here.
Other institutions also have images and resources related to Lancaster hosted via Digital Commonwealth:
- Boston Public Library hosts a high-resolution 1831 Map of Lancaster, as well as copies of the Lancaster Gazette from 1828 to 1830
- Lancaster Historical Society hosts the Lancaster, Massachusetts Historical Image Collection, compiled from images from Thayer Memorial Library, Lancaster Historical Commission, and Lancaster Historical Society collections.
Sterling-Lancaster Community Television often records and broadcasts programming related to local history, and makes their recordings available via their YouTube page.
A few examples include:
- Herbert H. Hosmer Jr. – Son of Lancaster, Master of Play. October 18, 2022
- Dashed Hopes: The Story of the Lancaster Industrial School for Girls. May 14, 2019
- Henry Stedman Nourse: Citizen, Soldier, Statesmen. June 6, 2018
A full playlist of SLCT history programs can be found here.
If you have any questions about Lancaster history and Thayer Memorial Library’s Special Collections, please contact vhatchell@lancasterma.gov or call 978-368-8928 ext. 6.