Posts Tagged ‘industry’
West Cambridge History Hub
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 the Mount Auburn and Cambridge Cemeteries, and on the east by John F. Kennedy Street. It is an…
Read MoreDec. 10: Mayflower Memories
Mayflower Memories: Gathering Stories of East Cambridge Wednesday, December 106-7 pmEast Cambridge History Center625 Cambridge StreetFree Join History Cambridge for “Mayflower Memories,” a special program dedicated to preserving the vibrant history of East Cambridge, focused on the iconic Mayflower Poultry business and the surrounding neighborhood. This event offers a unique opportunity to gather, connect, and…
Read MoreNov. 24: Making It in East Cambridge
Making It in East Cambridge: Industry and Innovation History Cafe with Mike Kuchta Monday, November 24, 20256-7 pmEast Cambridge History Center, 625 Cambridge Street (the former Mayflower Poultry site) Beginning in the early 1800s, East Cambridge grew into a regionally- and nationally-important center of manufacturing, activity which largely disappeared by the late 1960s. Prominent local industries included…
Read MoreFeb 16: We Were Here
Monday, February 16, 20266:30 pmFoundry Theater101 Rogers Street, CambridgeFree; no registration required Back by popular demand! We Were Here: An Enhanced Performance Arranged and written by Betsy Bard and Micaela León Perdomo, We Were Here is a play exploring the history of immigrant workers at the Blake & Knowles Foundry in East Cambridge by Youth…
Read MoreThe 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 MoreFurniture making in East Cambridge, birthplace of the Davenport sofa in America’s Gilded Age
by Michael Kuchta, 2025 For more than a century, from the 1850s until after World War II, East Cambridge was home to a number of nationally prominent makers of custom furniture. The industry grew with the help of skilled and semiskilled laborers, mostly recent immigrants; the invention of steam-powered saws, planers, lathes and other woodworking…
Read MoreSept. 28: “Smoke This” Rib Fest
Sunday, September 28, 202512– 4 pm Cambridge Street in East Cambridge Between Fulkerson Street and Fifth StreetFree (tickets required for tastings) Join us for this delicious annual community event! You already know that East Cambridge has a fascinating industrial history. Now, you can learn more about it while enjoying some delicious BBQ! We’re excited to…
Read MoreIn the organ-making history of East Cambridge, two small-business owners dominated
By Beth Folsom, 2025 As Cambridge enters the season of graduations, weddings and first Communion and other church-related celebrations, it is worth noting the city’s history of building the instrument that provides the soundtrack to many of these events: the church organ. East Cambridge in particular has been home to several organ and piano manufacturers…
Read MoreEast Cambridge led, not to mention innovated in, the manufacture of coffin and caskets
By Beth Folsom, 2025 Brothers William and David Lockhart established their coffin- and casket-making factory on Bridge Street in East Cambridge in 1854. Woodworking shops of many varieties already existed in the neighborhood, and the Lockhart brothers themselves had a brief foray into the world of cabinet-making before turning their attention to caskets. What began…
Read MoreBrush-making in Cambridge used prison labor, ultimately defeating an industry and principle
By Beth Folsom, 2025 Beginning in the early 19th century, individual craftspeople and small-scale workshops in East Cambridge made a variety of brushes for domestic and commercial use. By midcentury, this had expanded into larger-scale industrial production; in the 1850s, Stratton, Sherriff & Co. employed more than 150 workers in its brush factory on South…
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