Beth Folsom of History Cambridge, Author at Cambridge

For 50 years that home economics was treated as a science, Harvard Square hosted a center for housewives

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge August 31, 2026

The idea of “specialists” trained to view household challenges in the same way as larger economic, political and social problems was a hallmark of the 1920s.

DID YOU KNOW

‘Cambridge is a Tiny Cuba’: Harvard and the Cuban teachers’ expedition of 1900

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge August 24, 2026

Four ships landed on July 4, 1900, and more than 1,200 Cuban teachers came to Cambridge. One remarked that “Cambridge es Cuba chiquita” (“Cambridge is a tiny Cuba”).

DID YOU KNOW

For a summer staycation, Cantabrigians flocked to Mount Auburn Cemetery

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge August 17, 2026

Most Cantabrigians couldn't afford summer travel – except to their beautiful cemetery, where the public did not always agree on appropriate etiquette.

DID YOU KNOW

Cambridge once had 66 candy makers, and tours in August show how an industry formed and melted away

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge August 10, 2026

History Cambridge gives guided tours Wednesday and Sunday that highlight the rich and complex history of candy making in Cambridge.

DID YOU KNOW

The Magazine Beach bathhouse debate and the politics of public hygiene

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge August 3, 2026

Many Cantabrigians at the turn of the 20th century lacked bathing facilities at their homes, so a swimming beach and bathhouse were not just for leisure.

DID YOU KNOW

Fresh Pond was a Revolution refuge and smallpox hospital, Civil War soldiers’ barracks and World War I training ground

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge July 27, 2026

Fresh Pond has most often been seen as a place of natural beauty. Its role in three major wars is an important if largely overlooked part of its history.

DID YOU KNOW

Take a West Cambridge history tour spotlighting monuments, Fresh Pond by bike or great poets and authors

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge July 13, 2026

The health benefits of Fresh Pond, literature from Anne Bradstreet to T. S. Eliot and statues, plaques, and memorials – we're looking at all of it.

DID YOU KNOW

Cambridge’s bicentennial celebrations emphasized unity through diversity

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge July 6, 2026

Cambridge began to prepare for the 200th anniversary of the nation’s independence a full decade before the first event of the Bicentennial era.

DID YOU KNOW

The history of the future, predictions from the past, included a Cambridge with only 60,000 residents

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge June 29, 2026

A city of 60,000 people, “atomic factories,” women “of skirtly grace and draped modesty” and a much expanded MBTA were predicted at Cambridge anniversaries.

DID YOU KNOW

Cambridge’s long history with ‘the beautiful game’ of soccer highlights immigrant contributions to the city

by Beth Folsom of History Cambridge June 22, 2026

In its earliest days in Cambridge, soccer was a way to offer Harvard students a sport they could play, but not enjoy overly much. How times have changed.