Most historians interested in the cultural history of nineteenth-century America are familiar with the lyceum movement, first popularized by Massachusetts' Josiah Holbrook. While lyceums were extremely popular during the 1820s and 1830s, they disappeared with the advent of the Civil War--though later providing inspiration for Chautauquan lectures and reading circles at the close of the century. During the 1820s and 1830s, special teachers' lyceums provided outlets for practicing teachers interested in hearing lectures related to their profession. Might lyceums be considered an early form of professional development for educators? If so, how might have the lyceum movement influenced the popularization of teachers' institutes during the 1850s? This study describes how professional educators participated in the lyceum system during the early nineteenth century and makes connections between the lyceum movement and subsequent forms of teacher professional development.