The American Antiquarian Society is a national research library specialising in printed material from the period before 1877 — books, newspapers, broadsides, almanacs, sheet music, and graphic arts. Founded in 1812 by the Worcester printer Isaiah Thomas, who had himself printed the first American edition of Mother Goose and reported the battles of Lexington and Concord, it is one of the country's most important rare-book libraries.
The reading room is reserved for researchers, but the public hall hosts exhibits drawn from the collection. Free guided tours are offered most Wednesday afternoons; for anyone interested in early American printing, journalism, or popular culture, this is a quietly fascinating stop.