More History, More Stories, More Reading

This souvenir supplement provides only the barest outline of Cambridge history--like any institution of its age and vitality, this city is filled with more anecdotes and lessons than would fit in 100 such sections.

The city's public library is the place to begin. It boasts not only a local history room but also a special Cambridge room, a locked repository of everything that has been written about the city. Ask the reference librarian for the key; among the treasures there are the following:

Cambridge Reconsidered,by S.B. Sutton. Written to coiincide with the nation's Bicentennial, this lively history covers all periods and parts of the city's history. The prime source for much of the material in this section, Sutton's history is especially good in its treatment of the 19th century influx of immigrants and growth of industry in the city. Sutton's book is also available at many other locations--it is the most accessible guide to Cambridge's past.

An Historic Guide to Cambridge,compiled by members of the Hannah Winthrop Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in the early 1900s. Intended as a walkinig guide to the city, the text focuses on individual houses and their inhabitants in Cambridge's early years. Though it is preoccupied with "Old Cambridge," the book still contains many fascinating passages. But be prepared--searching for the iteresting in the morass of architectural detail may prove tedious.

Cambridge of 1776,published in 1875 by the Ladies Centennial Commission. This collection of essays and diary clippings describes Cambridge in the Revolution. The story is fascinating, if a little hysterical.

The 250th Anniversary of the Settlement of Cambridge,prepared by order of the City Council. This book records only one day in te city's history but still managers to paint vividly an entire era. It's worth reading, if only for the story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow reciting poetry to schoolchildren.

Zone of Emergence,written early in the 1900s. This book attempts to describe the immigrant population of Boston and Cambridge at the turn of the century. Though it is occasionally bigoted, late historians have drawn heavily on its descriptions of East Cambridge and Cambridgeport.

Those number but a few of the dozens of books in the library's Cambridge room. But there are other resources in the city as well--the Cambridge historical Commission, located in the City Hall Annex, has catalogued the city's history, particularly its architectural record, in hundreds of photos and in a series of books tracing the past of each of Cambridge's neighborhoods.

And the best source of information in the city, especially for history of this century, is even more easily available--its residents. Tape recorder in hand, we talked to more than a few Cantabridgians who remember far more than has ever been written down.

Cambridge history is gloriously rich, both in the library and over the backyard fence.