Established in 1842, the Worcester County Mechanics Association (WCMA) was originally an educational and charitable organization that fostered skills in the mechanical arts required in the new industrial age. The Mechanics were also committed to engaging the entire community with cultural and social ideals. At the forefront of America’s Industrial Revolution, WCMA was one of many such organizations in Britain, Australia, and America, whose origins were in the medieval guilds and whose aim was to encourage education and self-improvement.

Three social issues were of major concern to the Worcester Mechanics: Abolition, Women’s Rights, and Temperance.  As early as the 1840s, Frederick Douglass and other abolitionists were invited on many occasions to speak to the Association membership and the wider community.  Women’s rights advocates and temperance advocates also used Mechanics Hall as their platform for social reform.

A list of notable individuals who have spoken at Mechanics Hall throughout its history can be found  here.