We use history to catalyze the connections that make Cambridge, Massachusetts more vibrant and cohesive.
Oct 3: Guided Tour: East Cambridge in the Revolution
Details Saturday, October 3 at 10:00 a.m. Registration required$15 East Cambridge is a neighborhood whose role in the Revolutionary War is largely unknown, but the area played a critical role in the Revolutionary story, from the construction of Fort Putnam and other earthworks to the landing of British troops at Lechmere Point to begin their…
Oct 6: “Cambridge’s Black Community” Course
Cambridge’s Black Community: Seizing Freedom and Creating Community A 3 week courseOctober 6, 13, and 203-5 pmCambridge Center for Adult Ed42 Brattle StreetRegistration required Joins us for a fall course! From the time of its earliest settlement by European colonists, Cambridge has had a community of Black residents whose lives and work have shaped the city.…
Oct 10: Cambridge Modern House Tour with Docomomo New England
Saturday, October 109 Ash Street, Cambridge, MA1:30 PM – 4 PMFree; please register Join Docomomo and co-hosts Cambridge Historical Commission and History Cambridge for a walking tour of Modern houses in Cambridge. This tour will include entrance to Philip Johnson’s 9 Ash Street and a house by Eleanor Raymond, as well as 8 exterior stops…
Oct 20 & 24: Guided tour: The Black Community in West Cambridge
Details The Black Community in West Cambridge guided tourTuesday, October 20 5:30-7:00 p.m.Saturday, October 24 10:00-11:30 a.m.Registration required$15 About the tour Although there are many in Cambridge who have never heard of Lewisville, this area of West Cambridge has been a vibrant and enduring part of the city’s history for over two centuries. The neighborhood,…
Gender, Work, and Virtue: Women Foundry Workers and the Politics of Labor Reform
By Beth Folsom, 2026 This week, as Cambridge joins the rest of the country in marking the Labor Day holiday, we also mark the anniversary of an industrial raid that challenged the city’s notions of “suitable” work for women and the role of government in regulating working conditions, hours, and wages. At the beginning of…
Fear and Fellowship: Cambridge’s Response to September 11
By Beth Folsom, 2026 On the morning of September 12, 2001, Cantabrigians from all walks of life were struggling to come to terms with what had happened less than 24 hours earlier, when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York, the Pentagon just outside of Washington, DC, and a field…
St. Botolph’s Island: Reimagining Municipal Spaces in Cambridge
By Kaliyah Macaraig, 2026 In 1907, the Boston Society of Architects proposed the construction of an island in the middle of the Charles River. Named St. Botolph’s Island, invoking Boston’s historical namesake, the artificial landmass was designed as the site for commercial uses, new transportation and government functions. As written in the 1907 Report, the…
West Cambridge History Hub
2026 is our year of West Cambridge! Check out our upcoming events A Brief History of West Cambridge As defined by the City of Cambridge’s Community Development Department, the neighborhood of West Cambridge is bounded on the west by Fresh Pond, on the north by Concord Avenue, on the south by the Charles River and…
American Revolution in Cambridge
Introduction Cambridge has been part of America’s Revolutionary story from its beginnings, even before the outbreak of the war for independence. On Sept. 1, 1774, Cambridge residents responded to the news that Gen. Thomas Gage, royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, had ordered the removal of gunpowder from a magazine (a powder storage…
East Cambridge History Hub
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 as from Boston. The rich oyster beds contained there served as an important…
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
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.
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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.
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