We use history to catalyze the connections that make Cambridge, Massachusetts more vibrant and cohesive.
May 13: History Café: Squire’s Meat and East Cambridge’s Fight for Change
Industry, Labor, and Community: Squire’s Meat and East Cambridge’s Fight for Change Tuesday, May 136-7 pmEast Cambridge Savings Bank292 Cambridge StreetFree, please register! About the event From the time of its founding in the 1840s, the John P. Squire & Co. meat processing plant was a major force in East Cambridge industry. At its peak…
May 17: Born in North Cambridge: A Guided Tour
Saturday, May 17, 20252-3:30 pmFree; registration requiredLimited space availableWeather date: Sunday, May 18 at 2 pm About the tour Join authors Karen Weintraub and Michael Kuchta for a series of free tours exploring Cambridge’s legacy of innovation, adaptation, and revolutionary ideas. Based on their book Born in Cambridge: 400 Years of Ideas and Innovators, these…
May 18: Inman Square events
📣 Double the fun in Inman Square on Sunday, May 18th from 12-4 PM Join History Cambridge for TWO exciting events happening simultaneously: 🍔 Inman Eats & Crafts (Cambridge Street between Springfield & Prospect): Presented by the East Cambridge Business Association (ECBA), indulge in delicious bites from local restaurants (get your Inman Bucks), browse unique…
May 22: Defying the Crown in Early Cambridge
Defying the Crown in Early Cambridge: The 1664 Petition Campaign and Grassroots Constitutionalism Thursday, May 22, 20256:30 – 8:00pmCambridge Room of the Cambridge Public Library Main Branch 449 Broadway Free, registration required Join us for this event in collaboration with our friends at the Cambridge Public Library. The new king Charles II sent royal commissioners…
Elias Howe’s 1846 sewing machine is example of creativity in Cambridge
By Beth Folsom, 2025 The Inman Eats & Crafts Makers Market set for Sunday celebrates the many creative people and organizations that call Cambridge home. As part of the festival, History Cambridge offers visitors the opportunity to see the first commercially available sewing machine, invented in Cambridge by Elias Howe Jr. in 1846. Building on the work…
Cambridge Street pop-up and the social history of gardening in East Cambridge
By Beth Folsom, 2025 History Cambridge joins with the Cambridge Plant & Garden Club and East Cambridge Business Association on Saturday for a pop-up event celebrating Cambridge Street, the lifeline of the East Cambridge neighborhood. The event takes place in Cambridge Courtyard, the meeting spot tucked beside the train tracks on Cambridge Street, where History Cambridge will share…
The great fire of 1963 and the end of meat packing in East Cambridge
By Michael Kuchta, 2025 On the afternoon of April 14, 1963, Easter Sunday, a spectacular fire consumed the Squire’s meatpacking plant on Gore Street in East Cambridge. More than 500 firefighters from Cambridge and surrounding communities worked to subdue the flames. Hot embers were carried by the thick smoke and fell onto buildings as far…
East Cambridge History Hub
2025 is our year of East Cambridge See what events we’ve got planned! A Brief History of East Cambridge The area that we now know as East Cambridge was for many centuries largely salt marshes and mud flats which, at low tide, virtually cut the area off from other parts of the city, as well…
LGBTQ+ History Hub
This hub is a work in progress. Have some resources to add? Let us know! In This Hub Introduction Cambridge is a well-known leader in LGBTQ+ rights. The city was first in Massachusetts to perform gender-affirming surgery in 1972, and in 2004 it became first in the country to grant same-sex marriage licenses. City government…
North Cambridge History Hub
North Cambridge History Hub
Fort Washington History Hub
Fort Washington Park is the last remaining fortification from the Revolutionary War in Cambridge, but the park and neighborhood hold rich histories beyond the Revolutionary era. This History Hub contains materials that details the eras of the park
Cambridgeport History Hub
History Hub for all things Cambridgeport
Culinary History Hub
Culinary History of Cambridge By Rain Robertson, and revised by Deb Mandel, 2022 Cambridge holds a rich and distinctive culinary history. It gave America ice, the Porterhouse steak, Peking ravioli, its first star chef in Julia Child, and a hankering for Indian food. This is a survey of 20th century markets, delis, cafeterias, and local…
Indigenous Peoples History Hub
Curious about the Indigenous history of this place? Start learning here.
Inner Belt Hub
Cambridge had a major role in battling one highway for decades and eventually sparking a process that created a powerful coalition that led officials to remake transportation policy for the Boston area inside Route 128
Black History in Cambridge: Online Resources Hub
Above Image: Saundra Graham speaks into a megaphone during the occupation of 319th Harvard Commencement June 11, 1970 (Courtesy Cambridge Historical Commission) Delve into these online resources that explore Black history in Cambridge. More programs and events about Cambridge’s Black history are being planned. To be notified, sign up for our monthly enewsletter. Articles Self-Guided…
Early Black Cambridge Resource Hub
Are you interested in learning more about the history of race, slavery, and African American life in the Cambridge area? This guide highlights many of the resources available that touch on these topics, including primary, secondary, and public-facing sources (such as self-guided tours and websites). While this hub is focused on material related to the 1700s, it also offers relevant material from later periods in Cambridge history.
Curious About Forgotten Souls of Tory Row?
In 2022, History Cambridge was awarded an Arts for Social Justice grant from Cambridge Arts. We selected the artist collaborative Black Coral, Inc. for the project and installation began in May 2022, with the art on view from June 1st 2022 through April 7th 2023. “Forgotten Souls of Tory Row: Remembering the Enslaved People of Brattle Street” honors the enslaved adults and children who lived and worked on this land as well as those whose labor on Caribbean plantations helped finance the grand homes of white Tory Row elites.
Search Our Site
Find original research by History Cambridge staff, interns, volunteers, and community members, including articles, oral histories, and online exhibitions. Search results also include our finding aids, which describe archival materials you can make an appointment to view in person.
Shed light on untold stories and silenced voices.
Passionate about Cambridge history? Support our mission by volunteering with History Cambridge Corps.