Posts Tagged ‘environmental issues’
The Rise of Industry in East Cambridge
From Salt Marshes to Industrial Hub: The Story of East Cambridge The area we now know as East Cambridge was for many centuries largely salt marshes and mud flats that, 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…
Read MoreLessons in East Cambridge history: Reflections on two centuries of newspaper coverage
By Beth Folsom, 2025 This is the third year of History Cambridge’s Neighborhood History Center model of programming, in which we choose one of Cambridge’s 13 neighborhoods on which to focus for a calendar year. For the past six months, I have delved into the history of this year’s neighborhood, East Cambridge, by reading the nearly…
Read MoreMay 17: Born in North Cambridge: A Guided Tour
Saturday, May 17, 20252-3:30 pmFree; registration requiredLimited space availableWeather date: Sunday, May 18 at 2 pm As of Friday, May 16, this event is taking place rain or shine! About the tour Join authors Karen Weintraub and Michael Kuchta for a series of free tours exploring Cambridge’s legacy of innovation, adaptation, and revolutionary ideas. Based…
Read MoreThe great fire of 1963 and the end of meat packing in East Cambridge
By Michael Kuchta, 2025 On the afternoon of April 14, 1963, Easter Sunday, a spectacular fire consumed the Squire’s meatpacking plant on Gore Street in East Cambridge. More than 500 firefighters from Cambridge and surrounding communities worked to subdue the flames. Hot embers were carried by the thick smoke and fell onto buildings as far…
Read MoreMay 13: History Café: Squire’s Meat and East Cambridge’s Fight for Change
Industry, Labor, and Community: Squire’s Meat and East Cambridge’s Fight for Change Tuesday, May 136-7 pmEast Cambridge Savings Bank292 Cambridge Street Thanks to everyone for joining us! About the event From the time of its founding in the 1840s, the John P. Squire & Co. meat processing plant was a major force in East Cambridge…
Read MoreEast Cambridge History Hub
2025 is our year of East Cambridge See what events we’ve got planned! 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…
Read MoreThe Pit That Wants to be a Pond: An Industrial and Environmental Tour of North Cambridge
Thanks to everyone who came out to learn more about North Cambridge through an industrial and environmental lens. We were pleased to be joined by Eric Grunebaum to learn more about the history of Jerry’s Pit. We appreciated everyone’s insights and great questions! This tour will explore the development of North Cambridge through the lens…
Read MoreWatershed: An Excursion in Four Parts
by Emily HiestandFirst published by The Georgia Review and Beacon Press in 1998. Updated slightly in 2021 for publication in This Impermanent Earth, and in 2024 for History Cambridge. Part One | Street Like travelers who want to keep some favorite place from being overly discovered, the residents of our neighborhood sometimes confide to one another in a near-whisper, “There’s no…
Read MoreMay 8: Only a Common Piece of Clay: Exploring the Legacy of the Brickmaking Industry in North Cambridge
Just how big of a role did brick play in the history of North Cambridge? Join Cambridge resident Josie Kuchta for an exploration of the topic. As a recent Wellesley College graduate, Josie has explored architecture through an interdisciplinary lens, critically examining the cultural and environmental context of the built world. In her senior honors…
Read MoreNorth Cambridge History Hub
North Cambridge History Hub
Read More