1986 Neighborhood Trivia Hunt

Cambridge Trivia Hunt

Cambridge has certainly changed over time, and our 1986 trivia hunt shows just how true that is. It serves as a kind of time capsule of our city. Take a trip back in time with this self-guided tour to see how many of these sites are still around. Which ones do you recognize? Which ones do you remember? What are … Read More

Al Vellucci

By Gavin W. Kleespies, 2013 The name Al Vellucci meant different things to different people in Cambridge. But the name meant something to everyone. Vellucci was a political juggernaut, he knew everyone and was at every event. In the 1994 New York Times obituary for Tip O’Neill, Vellucci was quoted as saying “There were only three politicians – James Michael … Read More

Just-A-Start Helps Restore East Cambridge Homes

By Sal Mancini, 2013 In conjunction with the Cambridge Historical Commission, Just-A-Start has completed several projects in East Cambridge to meet the needs of low-income homeowners while maintaining historical authenticity. JAS has maintained the late-19th-century aesthetic of these East Cambridge structures while meeting modern building code requirements and the accessibility needs of their clients. Contractors were chosen based on their … Read More

Serving with Al

By Francis H. Duehay, 2013 I served on both the School Committee and the City Council with Al Vellucci, much longer on the City Council. Al seemed to many to be unpredictable, brash, quixotic, divisive, wily, loud, dominating, and self-centered. And he was, but he was a lot more than that. He often addressed the public at City Council meetings … Read More

East Cambridge’s Road to Revolution

By Darleen Bonislawski, 2013 The events leading to the April 19, 1775, skirmish on Lexington Green began in East Cambridge. Years ago, while walking in East Cambridge (where I was born), I saw a stone marker on Second Street near the Probate Court, stating to all that “Near this spot 800 British soldiers from Boston Common landed April 19, 1775, … Read More

Andrew Craigie: Mover and Shaker of East Cambridge

by Daphne Abeel Craigie Street, just to the west of Harvard Square, memorializes Andrew Craigie (1754-1819), but his most significant legacy is his development of East Cambridge. He also arranged to move the courthouse and the jail from Harvard Square to East Cambridge. That move, combined with his building of the Canal (or Craigie) Bridge from Lechmere’s Point to Boston, … Read More

Heading East

By Michael Kenney, 2013 To head east along Cambridge Street is to become instantly conscious that this is not the Cambridge of academia and mansions, of student hangouts and jazz clubs. It is a Cambridge that pulses with an almost old-world vitality. There are three older men chatting on the sidewalk and children in school uniforms, a Portuguese social club … Read More

A New Landmark

by Darleen Bonislawski, 2013 Cambridge’s newest landmark – designated just this year – is St. Francis of Assisi Church, at the corner of Cambridge and Sciarappa streets. It was built in the Greek Revival style for the Second Baptist Church in 1838, and after a period as a theater, a branch library, and a police and fire station, it was … Read More

“Three Distinct and Separate Communities”

The Old Cambridge Secession Attempts of 1842–44 By Edward Rodley   Introduction The Cambridge, Massachusetts, of 2017 is a heavily developed, densely populated urban center with a population that has hovered around 100,000 for the past twenty years. Regional differences exist from one part of the city to another, but the sense of Cambridge as a unique, distinct community provides a … Read More