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Proceedings Volume 20 – 1927–1929 [PDF] The Proceedings of the Cambridge Historical Society, Volume 20, 1927-1929 TABLE OF CONTENTS PROCEEDINGS PAGE SEVENTY-SEVENTH MEETING .................................................................. 5 SEVENTY-EIGHTH MEETING ....................................................................... 8 SEVENTY-NINTH MEETING ....................................................................... 9 EIGHTIETH MEETING ............................................................................... 10 EIGHTY-FIRST MEETING ...........................................................................12 EIGHTY-SECOND MEETING ..................................................................... 14 EIGHTY-THIRD MEETING ........................................................................... 15 EIGHTY-FOURTH MEETING ....................................................................... 18 EIGHTY-FIFTH MEETING ............................................................................. 19 EIGHTY-SIXTH MEETING .............................................................................. 21 EIGHTY-SEVENTH MEETING ...................................................................... 22 EIGHTY-EIGHTH MEETING ............................................................................. 23 PAPERS SOME CAMBRIDGE REFORMERS OF THE EIGHTIES...................................... 24 BY PUTNAM CHASE RECOLLECTIONS OF SIXTY YEARS IN CAMBRIDGE........................................ 53 BY EPHRAIM EMERTON THE BATES-DANA HOUSE....................................................................................... 60 BY MARY ISABELLA GOZZALDI ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF CHURCH LIFE......................................................... 63 BY WILLIAM M. MACNAIR EARLY CAMBRIDGE NEWSPAPERS...................................................................... 84 BY GEORGE GRIER WRIGHT 3 REMINISCENCES OF FOLLEN STREET............................................................ 91 BY MARIA BOWN VALUE OF ANCIENT HOUSES TO A COMMUNITY..............................................102 BY GEORGE FRANCIS DOW CAMBRIDGE PHYSICIANS I HAVE KNOWN.......................................................... 103 BY EDMUND H. STEVENS THE JOHN HICKS HOUSE......................................................................................... 110 BY ESTHER STEVENS FRASER OLD NORTH CAMBRIDGE........................................................................................... 125 BY THOMAS FRANCIS O'MALLEY OFFICERS...................................................................................................................... 136 MEMBERS....................................................................................................................... 138 SEVENTY-SEVENTH MEETING TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING THE TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY was held at the house of Richard H. Dana, 113 Brattle Street, at 8 P.M., January 25, 1927. Nearly eighty persons were present. President Emerton called the meeting to order. The minutes of the last meeting were read and allowed. The Secretary read his annual report, with that of the Council. Voted to accept the same and refer to the Editor for printing. The Curator exhibited and described several recent gifts to the Society. The Treasurer read his annual report, with the certificate of the Auditor, Mr. Beale. Voted to accept the same and refer as above. The Auditor made a further report concerning the "Life Membership Fund" in the Cambridge Savings Bank. From a pencil memorandum in the bank book it appears that the unidentified deposit of $100 in 1917 was towards printing the Index to the Cambridge Proprietors' Records prepared by Mrs. Gozzaldi. He recommended that this sum, which with its interest now amounts to about $145, be set apart as a special fund for that object. The withdrawal of this deposit, which has been regarded as making good the two $50 fees received in 1923 and not deposited, would be very nearly met by permanently includ- 5 ing the unclassified deposit made in 1913 of $71.28, with its accumulated interest, in the fund, which could then be considered a true Life Membership Fund, and have its interest drawn and used every year. Voted that these recommendations be referred to the Council for action. For the Nominating Committee, Mr. Bailey reported the following nominations for OFFICERS FOR 1927 President --- EPHRAIM EMERTON Vice-Presidents --- MARY ISABELLA GOZZALDI, WILLIAM COOLIDGE LANE, ROBERT WALCOTT Secretary --- SAMUEL FRANCIS BATCHELDER Treasurer --- GEORGE GRIER WRIGHT Curator --- WALTER BENJAMIN BRIGGS Council: the above and JOSEPH HENRY BEALE, STOUGHTON BELL, FRANK GAYLORD COOK, PRESCOTT EVARTS, JOHN TAYLOR GILMAN NICHOLS, JAMES LEONARD PAINE Ballots were distributed and the chair appointed Messrs. Briggs and Cook as tellers, who reported fifty-nine votes cast for the above, whereupon the chair declared them duly elected. Under general business Mr. Walcott, for the committee on the change of name to the "Longfellow Bridge," reported that a fresh bill for that purpose had been introduced in the present Legislature, and that a hearing upon it would be held before the Committee on Metropolitan Affairs on Friday the twenty-eighth instant, which he urged all members to attend. On motion of Mr. Beale it was Voted that the chair appoint a committee from the members present to attend said hearing with authority to speak for the Society. Mr. Walcott also, for the committee to secure the underwriting of the publication of the Index to Paige's History of 6 Cambridge, reported that about one-half of the necessary $2,000 has been pledged in amounts from $25 to $100. On motion of Mr. Beale Voted that the President appoint a committee to wait on the Mayor and City Council to see if they will take two hundred copies for distribution by the city; also that the Council of the Society be empowered to subscribe for copies to distribute among the members and that the underwriting committee proceed in accordance with the above. The President then announced the topic of the evening to be the Cambridge artist and writer, Washington Allston. He introduced as the first speaker Professor PAUL JOSEPH SACHS, Associate Director of the Fogg Museum of Art, who read a detailed and critical discussion of Allston as a painter, illustrated with many lantern slides, comparing his work with the Italian School, etc. After a short recess Mr. HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW DANA spoke informally on Allston as a man of letters, and read extracts from his poems. In connection with the subject there was exhibited a number of relics of Allston, the property of Mr. R. H. Dana. The meeting adjourned at 10.15 P.M. for light refreshments. 7 SEVENTY-EIGHTH MEETING THE REGULAR SPRING MEETING OF THE SOCIETY was held at 8 P.M., on April 26, 1927, at the residence of Miss Bertha Hallowell Vaughan, 57 Garden Street. About thirty-five members were present. President Emerton presided. The minutes of the annual meeting were read and allowed. In the absence of the Curator, the President read his list of recent gifts and accessions. The President also announced the successful passage of the legislative bill changing the name of the "Cambridge Bridge" to the "Longfellow Bridge." The pen used by Governor Fuller in signing this bill has been presented to our member, Miss Longfellow. The President then introduced the speaker of the evening, Mr. PHILIP PUTNAM CHASE, who read a paper on "Some Cambridge Reformers of the Eighties." At the conclusion of the paper the meeting adjourned for light refreshments at 9.30 P.M. 8 SEVENTY-NINTH MEETING THE MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY and their friends were entertained at a garden party by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Waldo Forbes, at Gerry's Landing, at 4.30 P.M., on Saturday, June 4, 1927. The President, after a few words of greeting and of appreciation for the hospitality of the hosts of the day, gave some of his recollections of Cambridge of sixty years ago. Other members also gave reminiscences of the same period. 9 EIGHTIETH MEETING THE REGULAR AUTUMN MEETING OF THE SOCIETY was held at 8 P.M., on Tuesday, October 25, 1927, at the house of Rev. Samuel A. Eliot, 25 Reservoir Street. About sixty members were present. Professor Emerton presided. The minutes of the last two meetings were read and allowed. The Acting Secretary also reported concerning matters of general interest that had come before the Council. The President stated that this was the first meeting of the Society since the death of Mr. Batchelder on June 10, and called on Rev. Prescott Evarts to read the resolutions prepared by a Committee of the Council, consisting of Mr. Evarts and Professor Beale. The resolutions follow: In the death of Mr. Samuel Francis Batchelder, the Cambridge Historical Society is conscious of the very great loss it has sustained, and mourns the death of a friend and benefactor. There was no member of the Society more deeply concerned in its welfare or more efficient in promoting its interests. The Council relied greatly upon his judgment; and to his resourceful mind and industry the Society owes much of the interest and value of its public meetings. Although he had been Secretary for but eleven years, his membership counted from the beginning, and his devoted support was continuous. Besides certain notable papers which he contributed to the Proceedings of the Society, Mr. Batchelder was recognized as a diligent student and interesting narrator of many local incidents in the history of Old Cambridge and of the university. In
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