Posts Tagged ‘North Cambridge’
Next History Hang Spotlights North Cambridge’s Industrial, Environmental Past
By Beth Folsom, 2026 Roughly 10,000 years ago, the end of the last ice age meant that the glaciers covering most of what we now call North Cambridge were beginning to recede, leaving in their elevations like Observatory Hill, Strawberry Hill, and Avon Hill, along with large accumulations of rock and vast deposits of clay.…
Read MoreJune 11: History Hang: North Cambridge Walk
Thursday, June 11 at 10 amMeet at Jerry’s Pit/the bus stop at Rindge Ave @ Russell FieldFree. Please pre-register! Well-behaved furry friends welcome Our Neighborhood History Center initiative keeps us moving across the map, but we refuse to leave our favorite places behind. While 2026 is officially focused on West Cambridge, we are returning to…
Read MoreJuly 8: Cambridge Through Time Course
July 8, 15, and 223-5 pmCambridge Center for Adult Ed 42 Brattle StreetRegistration required Join us for a summer course! Cambridge is a collection of rich and diverse neighborhoods, each with its own distinct history and flavor. Over the course of three Wednesday this July we will explore three of these neighborhoods – North Cambridge,…
Read More15,000 Years of Gossip: History of Gold Star Road, Part I
By Haakon L. Chevalier, 2026 Introduction Over forty years ago, I moved to Gold Star Road, a tiny street in North Cambridge off Massachusetts Avenue. For most of that time, I knew almost nothing about its history, and figured it couldn’t be very interesting. How wrong I was! There were so many questions: Who lived…
Read MoreOutdoor Skating in Cambridge
By Annette LaMond, 2026 Bring Back Outdoor Skating in Cambridge:Let’s Revive the Tradition of Skating in the Parks1 The winter of the 2024–25 was a classic for outdoor skating – cold temperatures with little snow. One-hundred years ago, even sixty years ago, such weather would have been enjoyed by skaters in parks across Cambridge. The…
Read MoreOctober 23: Culinary Crossroads: A Fundraiser for History Cambridge
Explore Cambridge’s Iconic Foods, Past and Present Thursday, October 23, 2025Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (2020 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140) The Culinary Crossroads fundraiser for History Cambridge at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (CSCA) was a success—we met our fundraising goal! These funds will directly support public history programs accessible to all residents…
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 MoreMarch 12: History Hang at Paddy’s Lunch
Wednesday, March 126-8 pmPaddy’s Lunch260 Walden StreetFree! Didn’t make it to our holiday party last December? Or maybe you just love hanging out at Cambridge’s oldest women-owned bar? Join us at Paddy’s for a casual get-together before the St. Patrick’s Day crowds arrive. We’ll be chatting with owner Ruth Allen about her experiences as a…
Read MoreHistory of poorhouses reflects changing attitudes toward those on the margins of society
By Heli Meltsner, 2024 This year, as part of its exploration of North Cambridge, History Cambridge highlights the ways in which the neighborhood has historically been home to industries and institutions Cantabrigians needed but wanted to push to the edges of the city’s boundaries. Slaughterhouses, tanneries and brickyards were all necessary industries, but those in the…
Read More‘The corner of the city he calls home’: North Cambridge through the eyes of Charlie Sullivan
By Marieke Van Damme, 2024 No matter what era you’re in, some things are universal – such as young people enjoying a good time. Where did North Cambridge teenagers go to party in the mid-1970s? Some went to a vacant, overgrown area near the train tracks just out of Porter Square, the site of a horrific…
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