Posts Tagged ‘1800s’
“The Greatest Curiosity of Cambridge”: Chinese Comes to Harvard
By Beth Folsom, 2026 An August 1879 article in the Cambridge Chronicle announced that “there was a written agreement dated Shanghai, 26th of May, ‘79, between [Francis] Knight, on behalf of the President and Fellows of Harvard College, and Ko Kum Huo, to teach the Chinese language at Harvard College for three years, at a…
Read MoreDebate Over Fugitive Slave Act Raises Questions of “Lawful Authority”
By Beth Folsom, 2026 On April 5, 1851, the Cambridge Chronicle reported that “an alleged fugitive named Robert Symmes was arrested in Boston on a warrant from Geo. T. Curtis, Esq., U.S. Commissioner. Symmes is alleged to be the slave of James Potter, of Chatham County, Ga.” In his struggle against arrest, Symmes allegedly “inflicted…
Read MoreMarch 26: Pricked and Painted: Tattooing in the 19th Century
Thursday, March 26, 20266-7:30 pmLongfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site105 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MAFreeSpace is limited; please register! Can’t make the event in person? Watch the livestream! Pricked and Painted: Tattooing in the 19th Century How prevalent were tattoos in the 1800s, how widespread were they, and who had them? Charles Longfellow, the…
Read MoreWest 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…
Read More“The Absolute Majority of the Population”: Women in Twentieth-Century Cambridge
This article was originally published as a chapter in Cambridge in the Twentieth Century, edited by Daphne Abeel, Cambridge Historical Society, 2007. Inspired by Cambridge Historical Society’s 2020 theme—Who are Cambridge Women?—the author, Eva Moseley, has reviewed the manuscript and made a few updates which are noted in the text that follows. “The Absolute Majority…
Read MoreThe Huron Avenue Area: Development of a Streetcar Suburb
By Charles M. Sullivan, 2007 Huron Avenue is one of the newest neighborhoods in Cambridge, but it is intimately connected with one of the oldest. It is the sole example of the classic 19th century streetcar suburb in Cambridge, and owes its existence to another neighborhood’s rejection of that mode of transportation. The development of…
Read MoreSome Aspects of the East Cambridge Story
By John W. Wood, 1956 “This paper gives a totally inadequate account of an appealingly picturesque and colorful neighborhood, the area that might have been a slum and isn’t, the step-child of the University City. “ – J. W. W. For some reason, the local history of East Cambridge has been almost completely neglected. It…
Read MoreBull Curtis Papers, 1830-1910
This collection has been transferred to Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site. Please contact their archivist with questions about this collection: https://www.nps.gov/long/learn/historyculture/archives.htm Administrative Information Biographical Sketch Sources Scope and Content Note Series Description and Folder Listing View items from the Bull Curtis Papers on Flickr 6 file boxesProcessor: Zinaida Tsemel2.5 linear feetDate: November 2002Updated: November…
Read MoreThe Bee Records, 1861–1934
Administrative Information Historical Sketch Sources Related Collections Scope and Content Note Library of Congress Subject Headings Container List 2 ½ Boxes Processor: Mark Vassar 2 linear feet Date: September 2003 View photos of this collection on Flickr Acquisition: Donated 4 January 1934 by Alice C. Allyn on behalf of the surviving members of the Bee.…
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