About History Cambridge
History is so much more than just a list of events that happened. We dig deeper to uncover the knowledge that everyone in this city holds a piece of. By weaving that knowledge together we can explore how the past influences the present—and use what we learn to shape a more just future.
Amateur historians, social butterflies, the civically minded, the culturally curious, activists, authors, local hosts, out-of-town visitors, lifelong residents, and new neighbors: we’re all a part of Cambridge’s story.
Our History
Founded in 1905 by a group of historians, the Cambridge Historical Society initially met in private homes and on the Harvard campus to present lectures on Cambridge history. Beginning in 1906, these lectures were published as The Proceedings. Not long after, the Society began collecting books, documents, significant papers, photographs, and objects. Together these materials made the basis for our archives and collections..
We’ve come a long way since our 1905 beginnings. What started as a group of amateur history enthusiasts has taken a fresh, new direction. In 2021 we became History Cambridge, a reflection of our efforts to be a more relevant and responsive historical voice in Cambridge. We do that by recognizing that every person in our city knows something about Cambridge's history, and their knowledge matters.
Events and Filming at the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House
Built in 1685 and transformed into a Georgian mansion in the 1730s, the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House is one of the oldest houses in Cambridge.
We've hosted corporate retreats, community meetings, weddings and milestone celebrations, documentary film crews, and more. Capacity ranges from 40 to 100 people, depending on the type of event.
Staff
Marieke Van Damme
Executive Director
(she/her/hers)
Beth Folsom
Program Manager
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Officers
Amy Devin, President
A commitment to learning and a desire to share information have been the common threads in Amy’s education and career. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature, as well as an M.S. in Library and Information Science with a concentration in archives management. Amy moved to Cambridge in 2003 and became an active member of her neighborhood community. She has served on the Executive Committee of the Cambridgeport Children’s Center and volunteers at the Morse School. A love of old houses, especially the two she and her husband have owned, has led to many hours of research and many months of renovations. Amy lives with her husband and two young daughters in an old Victorian in Cambridgeport.
Ed Rodley, Vice President
Ed Rodley is a lifelong resident of Cambridge. He received a BA in Anthropology from UMass Amherst and his MA in Historical Archaeology from UMass Boston. He is a co-Founder and Principal at The Experience Alchemists and is an award-winning experience designer with over thirty-five years experience in making exhibitions and experiences for cultural organizations large and small. Incorporating emerging technologies into museum practice has been a theme throughout his career. His book “Designing for Playful Engagement in Museums” is due out in June 2025 from Routledge. His museum career began in seventh grade, when he took part in a Museum of Science volunteer program for Cambridge Public Schools students. He and his wife live in Inman Square in the house he grew up in.
Lauren Harder, Treasurer
Lauren lives and works in Cambridge and is the founder of The Harder Group, a development, design/build, and property management firm. She attended Phillips Academy Andover, received a BA from Cornell University in English Literature and Masters in Information Science from Northwestern. She started exploring the city when her father moved to Harvard Square during high-school and returned after college to pursue a career in real-estate development. For over a decade, Lauren has since preserved and developed over 50 unique residences in Cambridge. “I strive to create a sense of place and let the house tell you what it wants to be,” she explains. She is thrilled to be able to bring her passion for Cambridge architecture to History Cambridge as Treasurer. When not overseeing The Harder Group or volunteering, you’ll also find her snowboarding and hiking in NH and attending events and games with her two children.
Elizabeth Adams, Clerk
Liz was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Her love of all things historical began with exceptional teachers at the National Cathedral School for Girls. Her love of Cambridge began when she moved here in 1978 to attend Harvard College where she majored in American History and studied with Patricia Nelson Limerick, a noted historian of the American West. Liz received an MBA from the JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She moved to Boston and worked as a Marketing Director for BayBanks, Boston Company and Fidelity Investments. “I love being a member of History Cambridge which provides innovative programming on the history of Cambridge.”
Directors
Betsy Bard
Betsy Bard, a retired Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School social worker and advocate for youth, dedicated 35 years to supporting students and families. Inspired by Anna Deavere Smith, she founded The Theater Project, directing documentary theater with youth to explore social justice issues. She furthered this work with Central Square Theater's Youth Underground, creating eight investigative plays. Bard's commitment extends to board roles at Central Square Theater and The Foundry Consortium, where she's developed plays on local history and invention education. Now, she joins the History Cambridge board, eager to contribute to preserving and celebrating the city's diverse stories.
Doug Brown
Doug Brown was born and raised in Mystic, Connecticut, home of Mystic Seaport Museum. An American History major at Princeton, Doug arrived in Cambridge twenty years ago following stops in Maine, New Orleans, Colorado, Gloucester, and Hong Kong. Doug is active in local affairs, serving as an officer of the Fresh Pond Residents Alliance, the recognized neighborhood association for West Cambridge. In addition, he also serves as co-chair of the City’s Climate Resiliency Zoning Task Force, as a member of the Envision Cambridge Alewife Working Group, as the organizer of the annual Standish Street Halloween Block Party, and is the founder of Friends of the Greenway, Inc., a non-profit focused on supporting the new Watertown-Cambridge Greenway path. Doug enjoys skiing, cycling, collecting old tools, and genealogical research. He lives in Huron Village with his wife Dee Elms and their three small children.
Marni Clippinger
Marni moved to Cambridge from New York City in 1972 and, since then, she has never wanted to live anywhere else. She has an innate fascination with local history, and has long admired the Cambridge Historical Society’s work. As the owner of half of a house built in 1873, she has a particular interest in historic buildings and how neighborhoods develop over time. In 2018, she retired from the Marketing Science Institute, a Cambridge-based nonprofit business research organization, where she was President and CEO. She is delighted to have the opportunity to share her nonprofit management experience as a member of History Cambridge.
Bruce Irving
Bruce Irving is one half of the Bigelow/Irving realtor team at Compass in Harvard Square, representing both buyers and sellers in and around Cambridge. He also runs his own consulting business, helping homeowners through the complex process of home renovation. He produced This Old House and its sister shows for 17 years; is the author of the book New England Icons, about the region’s built environment; writes about architecture for several publications, including Yankee; and is the former chairman of the Cambridge Historical Commission. He’s been in Cambridge since 1988 and lives with his wife in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood.
Michael Kuchta
Michael grew up outside Hartford, Connecticut. At the University of Pennsylvania he majored in the History of Science, with a focus on the American Industrial Revolution and received a Master’s Degree in Architecture from Rice University in Houston. He has lived in Cambridge since 2001 with his wife, Karen Weintraub, and their two daughters. Since 2006, Michael has worked as a campus planner at Harvard University, where her is involved in feasibility studies for new and renovated buildings, space planning, architect selection, and long range planning for the University’s historic campus. In 2022, the MIT Press published Born in Cambridge: 400 Years of Ideas and Innovators, which he cowrote with Karen.
Owen Payette McGarry
Raised in North Cambridge, Owen Payette McGarry has deep roots in the Cambridge/Somerville community. A Rhode Island School of Design graduate with a BFA in industrial design, he's forged a unique career path within historic trades. From shipwright to homing pigeon trainer, joiner, and now a historically informed hand poke tattoo artist, his work reflects a lifelong passion for history. Owen skillfully blends anachronistic materials and techniques, bridging the past with the present. Through his art and communication, he champions historic trades and illuminates history from unconventional viewpoints.
Virginia Pye
Virginia is an author of four published novels and a short story collection, some set in the past and others in the present, but always with an eye on historical connections. While doing research for her recent novel, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann, she focused on women writers of Cambridge and Boston. This led her to History Cambridge as a resource and community of like-minded people fascinated by history. Her next novel, Marriage and Other Monuments, due out in February 2026, is set in Richmond Virginia during the summer of 2020, but hinging on a fictional moment from 150 years earlier. Growing up in Belmont, Virginia attended Buckingham School and BB&N. Ten years ago, she returned to the area area after thirty-five years away and feels fortunate to live in Cambridge and join History Cambridge in sharing the story of this great city.
Laura B. Roberts
As a consultant, Laura Roberts works with cultural nonprofits on strategic planning, assessment, staff and board training, and organizational development. She teaches museum management at Harvard University and Bank Street College of Education. She was executive director of the New England Museum Association and director of education at three history museums in New England. Laura is the chair of the board of Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA. She is former chair of the Tufts Art Gallery advisory board and MassHumanities. Laura holds an M.B.A. from Boston University and an M.A. from the Cooperstown Graduate Program.
Susan Tomlinson
Susan Tomlinson is an associate professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she teaches courses in African American literature and American women’s fiction. She holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and a PhD from Brown University, where she wrote her dissertation on the Harlem Renaissance author and editor Jessie Redmon Fauset. Susan is the former editor of Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers, and she is currently working on the first scholarly edition of Edith Wharton's 1922 novel The Glimpses of the Moon for the Oxford Complete Works of Edith Wharton. Susan grew up in Lincroft, New Jersey and lived in New York, London, and Jamaica Plain before moving to Cambridge in 2011.