We engage with Cambridge, Massachusetts, to explore how the past influences the present in order to shape a better future.

 

Open Archives 2023: Born in Cambridge

Join the staff of History Cambridge and special guest Mike Kuchta at the historic Hooper-Lee-Nichols House for Open Archives

May 18 Good Gumbo: A History Cambridge Fundraiser with Chef Renee McLeod 

Join History Cambridge board member Renee McLeod for another cooking demonstration. This time, we’ll be exploring gumbo, a traditional Southern dish.

May 17: 2023 Inaugural Marcus and Amy Garvey Annual Lecture: Featuring Paula Paris

History Cambridge is pleased to co-sponsor Black History in Action for Cambridgeport’s 2023 inaugural Marcus & Amy Garvey Annual Lecture. This event recognizes St. Augustine’s role in the historic Pan-Africanist UNIA movement, founded by Marcus Mosiah Garvey and Amy Ashwood Garvey in 1914. Paula Paris, eminent public historian with decades of service to communities across Cambridge, will deliver the first lecture in this new yearly tradition. This event is free and open to the public.

May 7: Jerry’s Pond Fest

History Cambridge is pleased to co-sponsor Jerry’s Pond Fest. The Friends of Jerry’s Pond are celebrating their 7th Earth Day and you are all invited. There will be music, Bangladeshi dance, food, arts & crafts, Native American Fish Weir, and many activities for both kids and adults. Meet your neighbors to celebrate the planned reopening of Jerry’s Pond, and meet members of the IQHQ team and community groups. Come make art, see Audubon’s animals, remove invasive species, weed native gardens, clean around the pond, and, of course, stop by the History Cambridge table!

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…

Women’s History Hub

Profiles included: Barbara Ackermann | Maria Baldwin | Ann Bookman | Sara Chapman Bull | Joyce Chen | Helen Lee Franklin | Suzanne R. Green | Lois Lilley Howe | Edith Lesley | Eva Neer | Mercy Scollay | Elizabeth Sullivan | Phyllis Wallace Our 2020 theme was Who Are Cambridge Women? But why spend…

Businesses Well Lived

As part of our ongoing work to capture Cambridge history, we partnered with Cambridge Local First to reach out to local small business owners and find out how the pandemic has affected their livelihood.

Lois Lilley Howe Hub

As part of our year asking “Who Are Cambridge Women?” meet Lois Lilley Howe. Learn about her life and work.

Blue bottle trees on the front lawn of the Hoopeer-Lee-Nichols House

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.

Blue bottle trees on the front lawn of the Hoopeer-Lee-Nichols House

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.

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