history Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Cambridge

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.

NEWS

Larry Aaronson, progressive educator at CRLS, is reported dead at 86

by Marc Levy August 1, 2026

Larry Aaronson, an educator retired from the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, died peacefully in his sleep at 7:11 a.m. Saturday, according to friends.

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.

NEWS

‘Quite something’: U.K.’s speaker of the House of Commons visits Harvard’s 1215 Magna Carta

by Marc Levy July 23, 2026

Tucked away at Harvard Law School is a 1215 copy of the Magna Carta. Librarians took it out for a special visitor from the U.K. Parliament's House of Commons.

BUSINESS

Clover shrinks to five restaurants, opening a historic Harvard Square location to new tenants

by Marc Levy July 23, 2026

The healthy fast food chain discovered during 2015 renovations that the original tile walls and floor were intact from the Waldorf Lunch diner, opened in 1916.

DID YOU KNOW

Corcoran Park plans take into account floods and sinkholes from 10,000-year-old Great Marsh

by Jen Craft for History Cambridge July 20, 2026

The decision to build housing on such low-lying land has left the city with no choice but to remedy the situation, now on a second attempt.

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.

COMMUNITY

The Independent’s locally themed crossword puzzle: Bumpy Road

by Marc Levy July 11, 2026

The Independent’s second locally themed puzzle celebrates a facet of Somerville history that is, in a way, reflected in ancient Cambridge history.

FOOD

Ihop has closed permanently in a Harvard Square that never found a reason to love it (updated)

by Marc Levy July 7, 2026

The Ihop in Cambridge has closed quietly at 16 Eliot St. after 20 years, with even its all-day breakfast and and late-night hours failing to catch on in Harvard Square.