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IN THIS ISSUE P E O P L E A N D P L A C E S
Winter 2006 Volume VI, Number 1 Lost to Fire ______By Michael Kenney P E O P L E A N D P L A C E S Lost to Fire When the John Appleton House at 163 Brattle Street burned to the ground during cover story the night of December 8, 2005, a living link to Cambridge’s historic past was lost. That fire triggered a search through the records of the Society, the Cam- F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T A Great Year for the CHS bridge Historical Commission, and the city’s Fire Department to find equally sto- page 2 ried structures that were lost or severely damaged by fire—as well as an account of Cambridge’s “Great Fire.” F R O M T H E D I R E C T O R Looking Ahead page 3 While not on the scale of the “great fires” in Boston and Chicago, a lack of water turned the fire on June 12, 1828, at Hovey’s Tavern and Stable s on Main Street S O C I E T Y N E W S (now part of Massachusetts Avenue) into a major disaster, according to an ac- Annual meeting reports page 4 count in the Cambridge Firemen’s Relief Association’s “History of the Fire Ser- vice” (1888). It was brought under control only when Boston firefighters—who K E Y N O T E A D D R E S S were among the many departments that responded—were able to dam a creek at Neoclassical Furniture: A lecture Brookline and Auburn streets as the tide was running out, then pumped its water by Robert Mussey, Jr. some 1,500 feet up to the scene of the fire. Page 6
O C T O B E R P R O G R A M According to Cambridge Fire Captain Stephen Persson, the department’s histo- A Walking Tour of Harvard rian, that fire “was the catalyst” for the state legislature to establish an organized Square fire department for the city some three years later. (continued on page 8) page 8
F R O M T H E L I B R A R Y & A R C H I V E Mark Time page 7
C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S page 9 ______
THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Hooper-Lee-Nichols House 159 Brattle Street Cambridge Historical Society archives Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Tel: 617-547-4252
Web site: www.cambridgehistory.org E-mail: [email protected] Fire destroyed Hovey’s Tavern in Cambridgeport in 1828.
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F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T cializing in period home remodeling re- OFFICERS A Great Year for the sulted in an excellent job. The project budget is $75,000, 75 percent of which Theodore L. Hansen President CHS is covered by a preservation grant from Kathy Born the city. Vice President Your Society has just completed a very Chandra Harrington special year in its history––100 years of The program committee, chaired by our Vice President Maxwell D. Solet collecting, preserving, and interpreting staff, produced monthly programs and Vice President Cambridge history. Our most noticeable events that have enjoyed record atten- Andrew Leighton accomplishment was the Grand Cente n- dance. Particular thanks are due to Jen- Treasurer nial Celebration in May at the Novartis nifer Hance, Tom Bracken, and Larry Thomas Bracken Nathanson, who each planned programs Secretary Institutes for BioMedical Research. Lindsay Leard Coolidge Thanks to the generous support of mem- last year. Curator bers, sponsors, and friends, we were Daphne Abeel able to raise $47,000 for the operations Finally, I want to thank the members of Editor of the Society. Many thanks to event the Society, whose ongoing interest and financial support are so needed. As the COUNCILORS chair Karen Falb and subcommittee chairs Bob Crocker, Larry Nathanson, CHS moves into its second century, we Charlie Allen and Paula Paris. will build on the successes of the past Robert G. Crocker year and look forward to further pro- D. Eliot Klein In June, a Centennial Exhibition featur- gress in fulfilling our mission. Paula Paris Susan S. Poverman ing highlights from the Society’s colle c- Mary Webb tions was held on the very anniversary Ted Hansen of the founding of the CHS. Lindsay Coolidge and her committee mounted ADVISORS the exhibition, and Lindsay herself Mary Webb joins the CHS council
M. Wyllis Bibbins sponsored and wrote the accompanying Carol Cerf catalogue. We owe her a debt of grati- Luise M. Erdmann tude. Karen F. Falb George H. Hanford Swanee Hunt Major progress was made in preparing Dennis C. Marnon our centennial book for publication (see Ellen G. Moot page 6). CHS editor Daphne Abeel de- Larry Nathanson, M.D. serves our thanks for her dedication to Brian Pfeiffer the project. Charles M. Sullivan Our new council member has a master’s degree in landscape architecture from STAFF None of the above milestones would the Harvard University Graduate School have been possible without the impor- of Design. She worked for the City of Karen L. Davis tant efforts of director Karen Davis and Cambridge Environmental Program and Executive Director later as a landscape architect with Wal- Lewis Bushnell associate director Lewis Bushnell. lace, Floyd Associates. Mary is on the Associate Director board of the Architectural Heritage Sally Purrington Hild I am delighted to report that Paula Paris, Foundation, a Trustee of the Robert Program Director a professional fundraiser, accepted the Treat Paine Historical Trust, and a Victoria Hickey chairmanship of the development com- me mber of the Harvard Square Advi- Assistant mittee in October, just in time to guide sory Committee, and she is active on the Mark J. Vassar Buildings and Grounds Committee at Resident Archivist our successful 2005 annual appeal. Shady Hill School. Raised in Belmont, Shane LeGault Resident Fellow she moved to Cambridge in 1987 and is We were also very fortunate that Charlie the mother of three girls. Allen, who was elected to the council The Newetowne Chronicle is published three times annually last year, agreed to manage our roofing by the Cambridge Historical project pro bono (see pages 4 and 10). Society. Charlie’s expertise as a contractor spe-
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F R O M T H E D I R E C T O R field trip to the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House that Looking Ahead will tie in with the school curriculum. One of our goals is that every Cambridge child be
given the opportunity to visit the Cambridge Exciting plans are underway as the Society en- Historical Society and develop an appreciation ters its second century. Our spring benefit will for local history. be held at Avon Place Glass on April 30. Glass
artistry, antiques, and collectables will be ex-
plored at this working glass studio in North Sally Purrington Cambridge. We will connect Cambridge’s ven- Hild, former CHS erable past as the home of the New England executive director, Glass Company––the largest glass manufactur- has rejoined the
to by Lewis Bushnell ing company in the world in the mid-19th cen- staff as director of
Pho tury–– with the creation of art glass that is programs and events.
made today much as fine blown glass was
made over 100 years ago. There will be an ex- As hibition of antique glass made in Cambridge, we plan ahead, we know that our biggest chal- glass blowing demonstrations, and talks given lenge is to raise the money we need to accom- by an appraiser, collectors of New England plish our mission. The development commit- Glass, and Cambridge architectural historian tee, under the leadership of Paula Paris, is Susan Maycock. Ronald Bourgeault, owner of working on a plan that will lead to an endow- Northeast Auctions, will be on hand to ap- ment campaign. Our centennial benefit, praise glass objects. Art glass made at Avon “Necco to Novartis,” enabled us to cultivate Place Glass will be available for purchase, with local businesses. We are building on these rela- 30 percent of the proceeds going to the CHS. tionships and adding new ones this year. We hope that the businesses and institutions in Cambridge will join with you, our members in supporting the work of the CHS. We are ex- tremely grateful to all of you for your ongoing support.
, by Lura Woodside Watkins Karen L. Davis
Cambridge Glass Early flasks and pitcher manufactured at You've Got Mail...From the CHS the New England Glass Company ca. 1856. In order to keep you informed about the latest Another highlight of 2006 will be a big party in programs and other activities, we’re collecting e-mail addresses. If you wish to be placed on October to celebrate the publication of our our e-mail list, please take a moment to send book, Cambridge in the 20th Century: A City’s your address to: Life and Times. We are most grateful to the Cambridge Savings Bank for underwriting the [email protected] cost of publication and to the 18 contributors Please put “members e-mail” in the subject who wrote its essays. line.
Your e-mail address will be used ONLY for Sally Purrington Hild, our former executive CHS communication and will NOT be distrib- director, has rejoined us in a part-time position uted further. as director of programs and events. A new mother herself, she plans to launch a program for children this summer. Eventually she will work with the Cambridge schools to develop a
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A N N U A L M E E T I N G house improvement projects, this one took The 101st Annual Meeting some unexpected turns!
First, after detailed inspection of the roofs, we On January 29, President Ted Hansen presided determined that the rear chimney needed to be at the Society’s 101st annual meeting. The So- rebuilt. Permission to do so was received from ciety transacted its regular business, including Charles Sullivan, executive director of the the election of officers, councilors, and advi- Cambridge Historical Commission, and the sors (see page 2). Committee reports follow: brick, mortar composition, and joint tooling
were decided. The chimney was torn down and Treasurer’s Report rebuilt in the original configuration. Andrew Leighton, Treasurer
I am pleased to report that we accomplished the financial goals we set for ourselves in our centennial year. The challenge was to run a centennial fundraising event that would net the Society the amount normally needed to balance
the budget plus the $25,000 obligatio n to Photo by Lewis Bushnell match a $50,000 Community Preservation Act grant. This grant was obtained last year to cover an estimated $75,000 cost of repairing the roof, balustrade, and chimneys. Thanks to the efforts of our members and the financial support of our friends, we exceeded our goal by about $5,000. Results of operations showed a surplus of about $8,000, which is the net of the fundraising event less the amount spent in (l to r) Charles Sullivan, Charlie A l- 2005 on the roofing project. len, and mason Tony Martin inspect- ing the old rear chimney of the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House In addition, the Society’s investments gener- ated a total return in excess of 10%. About $37,000 of this return was added to invest- Another part of the project involved the balus- ments, and the balance was applied to opera- trade on the main roof, which proved more dif- tions in accordance with the Society’s 4% ficult to repair than anticipated. We erected spending rule. Total cash and securities at the scaffolding across the front of the building to end of the year were $610,105, up from allow safe access, a careful dismantling of the $563,847 at the beginning of the year. 52-foot assemblage, and a means to lower sec- tions to the ground. In summary, it was a good year. I believe our founders would be pleased. Once they were safely dismantled, we discov- ered that some of the balustrade moldings and spindles were beyond repair. This required ad- Facility Report ditional approval from the Cambridge Histor i- Charlie Allen cal Commission. Sarah Burks examined the existing balustrade and granted us permission The goal of the facilities committee for this to replace the failed elements. Knives were cut year was to implement a Cambridge Historical and new moldings milled. Quarter spindles Commission Institutional Preservation Grant to were turned. At this writing, our balustrade is provide new roofs for the Hooper-Lee-Nichols continuing its road back to health at my shop in House. (See page 10.) As with so many old Somerville.
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pendale standing desk and Lillie models, we And the roofs? After removing all old layers of have begun to focus on additional conservation roofing, we now have a new garage roof. The projects. The CHS received a generous grant sun porch roof has been repaired and should from the Massachusetts Society of the Cincin- see many more years of service. Our main roof nati to conserve the Mercy Scollay letters— has been stripped and a new EPDM (rubber) among the most important group of documents roof installed. Special attention was focused on in our archives. We have also discussed the the west wall eave where a gravel stop was in- restoration of the Dufour wallpaper in the stalled to keep water from spilling over onto Naples Room with a paper conservator, and the roughcast wall. New posts to receive the hope to secure grant funding for the project. repaired balustrade have been installed and flashed in. The ell roof has been outfitted with The year also saw a number of gifts to the So- new red cedar shingles treated with a fire reta r- ciety. Many individuals donated photographs dant. And the tiny rear entry door will sport a and postcards of Cambridge—most notably new copper cover. Andy Leighton, Suzanne Snyder, and Harriet Provine. Andy donated photographs of 163 We also intend to repair the front gate, which is Brattle Street (a house once owned by his now in the garage, and the posts that support it, great-grandparents) and Harriet donated post- as part of this project. cards of Cambridge following the 1938 hurri- cane. I think the Society can be proud of the quality, methods, and craftsmanship that have gone We received archival documents from Sandra into this major undertaking, and we can rest Curro and Lewis Clark. The former donated a assured that our roofs will protect the building Cambridge School diploma, and the latter’s and its contents for many decades. gift of several items included a spiral bound notebook entitled “Cambridge Half a Century Ago: 1889–1939,” written by Elizabeth Bond Collections Committee for the Cambridge Plant Club’s 50th anniver- Lindsay Leard Coolidge, Curator sary. The Wetherell family kindly donated a sketchbook by William Walter Dodge, which The Collections Committee is delighted to re- they found in the Edward Sherman Dodge port that the reorganization of the Historical House at 70 Sparks Street. Finally, Janet Society’s furniture, decorative arts, and fine Stockhaseun of Wisconsin sent a shipping arts was completed for our 100th anniversary crate marked “The Elliott Addressing Machine in June. The committee has been working to- Co, Cambridge Mass USA.” It was a partic u- ward this goal for the last three and a half larly welcome gift because the Society owns an years. The Colonial period furniture is grouped Elliott Addressing Machine. These gifts once in the parlor and the Colonial Revival furniture again remind us of the importance of the Soci- in the Chandler Room. The upstairs rooms ety’s membership working to preserve the his- serve as exhibition spaces, with the Rupert Lil- tory of our city. lie models displayed in the Naples Room and domestic arts in the east chamber. We are saying farewell to Todd and Candice Allström, who have been resident fel- In honor of the Centennial and the reorganiza- lows at the Hooper-Lee- tion, I published a history of the collection, Nichols House for the last 100 Years of Cambridge History: Highlights two years. We thank them from the Collection of the Cambridge Histori- for their contributions—especially Todd’s work cal Society, 1905–2005. in upgrading and maintaining our office com- puter technology. We wish them well in their With the installation of the collections com- new pursuits. pleted, as well as the restoration of the Chip-
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Publications Committee Report Annual Meeting Keynote Address Daphne Abeel, Editor Robert Mussey, Jr., delivered a captivating The Cambridge Historical Society continues to slide lecture, “Neoclassical Furniture: The Art- publish the Newetowne Chronicle three times a istry of Stephen Badlam and John and Thomas year. It remains our vehicle for staying in regu- Seymour.” He compared the lives and work of lar touch with our members and informing the the American-born Badlam, and the British- general public of CHS activities and pointing born Seymours—a father and son. Each out events in our community’s history. blended and transformed English and Ameri- can stylistic influences to create distinctive The newsletter is a team effort. Special thanks Federal period furniture. Badlam borrowed fur- go to CHS directors Karen Davis and Lewis niture patterns from England, while the Sey- Bushnell, Luise Erdmann, copy editor, con- mours brought British furniture patterns to tributors who volunteer their time, research, America. Badlam was a traditionalist who and writing skills, and the Publications Com- grafted Federal motifs onto Chippendale -style mittee members. furniture. The Seymours interpreted English Neoclassicism with elaborate inlays, giving The CHS centennial volume, A City’s Life and their furniture a sculptural quality. Times: Cambridge in the 20th Century, is well on its way to public ation. The final editing has been completed, and the work is now in the hands of the book and jacket designer. It will require proofreading, indexing, and printing, but there is every expectation that publication will take place in October 2006. The book, which contains 20 essays and nearly 100 illus- trations—including maps, drawings, and pho- tographs—represents a major contribution to the history of Cambridge. The diversity of its CHS curator Lindsay Leard contents and the contributors’ special know l- Coolidge with Robert Mussey, edge and talents are certain to make it a publi- Jr., next to the 18th-century cation that the CHS can offer with pride. Chippendale desk he restored in 2005.
Mussey recalled how he discovered Stephen Badlam’s diary by writing to every Badlam listed in every telephone directory in the coun- The Publications Committee welcomes try. The diary contains detailed information ideas for articles, as well as new contribu- about Badlam’s shop in Dorchester Lower tors. Contact us by sending e-mail to Mills, names his 31 apprentices, and mentio ns [email protected], or by mail to his speculative business practices. Mussey de- the Editor, The Newtowne Chronicle, c/o scribed Badlam’s financial successes, noting Cambridge Historical Society, 159 Brattle that by 1797 Badlam had given up making fur- Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 niture and had begun making small gilded mir- rors, which were far more profitable.
Much less is known about the Seymours. When they immigrated to Portland, Maine, from Dorset, England, in 1784, John the father began making English provincial furniture.
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By 1793 the family had moved to Boston, Kristy Sharpe completed two collections: the where they were making more sophisticated records of the Stearns Davis, Post 57 of the furniture than anyone else in the city. Their Grand Army of the Republic, an organization furniture was based on the English Neoclassi- of Civil War veterans who worked at obtaining cal models of Thomas Sheraton. In 1804, Tho- pensions and sponsoring legislation for these mas Seymour opened a furniture store facing veterans; and the records of the Garden Street Boston Common called, Thomas Seymour Fur- Garden Club, a women’s club among whose niture Warehouse, where he sold his furniture, members was the wife of the botanist Asa as well as silver, wallpaper, and paint. During Gray. the next 10 years, he created some of the most exquisite and distinctive furniture in America. Elizabeth Phipps and Victoria Walsh worked His furniture is unique in his use of wood inlay on the CHS Manuscript Collection, which con- and in his ability to create a three-dimensional sists of printed pamphlets, correspondence, and sculptural effect within the two dimensions of miscellaneous ephemera dating from the 18th the wood veneer. to the late 20th century. They catalogued indi- vidual items and entered them into our data- Mussey concluded his comparison by noting base to make them accessible to researchers. that Stephen Badlam sold his gilt frames to Thomas Seymour’s Furniture Warehouse. A records management project was undertaken Sadly, Seymour closed his business in 1817. by Michael Gill. He surveyed the CHS institu- His furniture, however, has become among the tional records and created a schedule that indi- most collectable in the country. cates what should be archived, what should be retained for short periods for legal reasons, and Lindsay Leard Coolidge what can be discarded.
Many thanks to all of these interns. With pro- jects planned for 2006, we hope to maintain F R O M T H E L I B R A R Y & A R C H I V E our relationship with Simmons College for Mark Time many years to come. by Mark Vassar
The CHS has been fortunate to enlist the aid of interns from the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science in Holiday party thanks processing our collections. In 2005, we hosted Chris Lenney, Kristy Sharpe, Elizabeth Phipps, Over 100 people attended our Annual Holiday Victoria Walsh, and Michael Gill. Party in December. Special thanks for the tasty do- nations to the following caterers: The Basil Tree, Chris Lenney, who works at the Lamont Li- Catering by Debbie, Cuisine Chez Vous, Global brary at Harvard and is now a CHS volunteer, Gourmet, Kayo and Company Catering, La Bonne processed several collections: the McCafferty Maison, Riley to the Rescue Catering, and Tables of Content. Thanks also to our council members Family Papers, the Joseph Willard Sermons, who generously contributed turkeys, ham, wine, the Papers of the Cambridge Branch of the and much more. Massachusetts Indian Association, and the Lois Lilley Howe Collection. These documents con- Thanks also to Ruth Crocker and Beth Meyer for tain a wide range of subject matter from the decorating the house, and to Jeannie Donovan and Civil War to early-20th-century photography. her friends, who have played festive Celtic music Recently Lenney processed the records of the for our party for the past six years. Cambridge Walking Club, a social group that organized nature walks for its members in the late 19th and early 20th century.
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O C T O B E R P R O G R A M Lost to Fire A Walking Tour of Harvard (continued from page 1)
Square A mansion that did not survive long enough to become as significant a feature of the city’s More than 50 CHS members and guests pa r- landscape as the Appleton House was built by tic ipated in the Tales of Old Cambridge walk- Lieutenant Governor Spencer Phipps near Otis ing tour on October 30, 2005. Timothy Saw- Street in 1750. According to a report in the So- yer, of Lively Lore, regaled us with stories as ciety’s Proceedings (vol. 16): “as was custom- entertaining as they were enlightening. ary… they had a house warming; and there be- ing a Husking frolic at some time, by some The tour began on carelessness, the house took fire.” Everything Eliot Street, which was destroyed with the exception of several follows the curve of outbuildings. a former creek. Saw- yer led us to Harvard “Carelessness or the negligence of not putting Yard where we out the Snuff of a Candle” is cited as the cause heard about the of the fire in 1777 that destroyed the Foxcroft founding of the col- House in the vicinity of Cambridge and Kirk- lege, and then past land streets. signif icant tombs at the Old Burial Then, in 1839, there was a fire notable not only Ground. Sawyer Tim Sawyer in Winthrop for the historic structure it destroyed but for talked about Cam- Park, describing the early one of the firefighters. An account in the Pro- bridge's significant marketplace. ceedings (vol. 26) of the fire that destroyed the role in the American Dana Mansion on what is still known as Dana Revolution, discussing notables such as Wil- Hill notes that “among those who tried in vain liam Brattle, Samuel Adams, and William to fight the fire was a young man who was Dawes. The tour was peppered with the words seen to climb the ladders with the agility of a of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver sailor.” It was none other than Richard Henry Wendell Holmes, and many other noted Can- Dana, Jr., recently returned to town from his tabrigians. Above the din of street musicians, “two years before the mast.” Sawyer's theatrical rendition of history blended the past with present. Buildings undergoing renovation, like the Ap- pleton House, have often been damaged or de- One person said that in all the time she had stroyed by fire. Most notable ––and spectacu- lived in Cambridge, she had never been on a lar––was the fire that destroyed the tower of number of the small streets included on the Harvard’s Memorial Hall on September 6, tour. 1956. In 1999, working from a 60-second ama- teur video of the fire, as well as the original After the program, everyone enjoyed more architectural drawings and archival photo- conversation over coffee, compliments of graphs from the 1870s to the 1950s, Harvard Peet's Coffee and Tea on Mount Auburn Street. was able to replicate “almost exactly the 1878 Many thanks to Sarah Brooks, manager of tower,” according to the Harvard Gazette . Peet’s, for their hospitality. Churches were particularly vulnerable in the To learn more about Lively Lore, visit their middle years of the 19th century; no less than Web site, www.livelylore.com. seven were lost between 1851 and 1866, when the Old Baptist Church in Central Square Sally Purrington Hild (since rebuilt) burned.
Not all of the city’s fires were complete disas- ters. One fire even saved a more prominent
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structure from being demolished. According to an article by Harvard’s Reverend Professor Pe- Calendar of Events
ter J. Gomes in the Proceedings (vol. 44), in Wednesday, March 29 1967, Harvard planned to demolish the 1838 Dana Fellow Event* Sparks House, at the corner of Kirkland and American Meteorological Society Quincy street, to make way for the construction Time: 6:00 p.m. of Gund Hall. But, Gomes wrote, “in the Place: 45 Beacon Street, Boston strange fashion of providence,” before that CHS member Jinny Nathans, who is the librarian and archivist could occur, fire damaged the Farrar House, at at the American Meteorological Society, will lead a tour of the organization’s headquarters. The historic building (1806) is 21 Kirkland Street, and Harvard decided to the third one designed by Charles Bulfinch for Harrison Gray raze it and move the endangered Sparks House Otis, who lived there until his death in 1848. Bulfinch, often to the now-vacated cellar hole. This it did, in regarded as the first American-born architect, designed the the autumn of 1968 “to the great delight of Massachusetts State House and the Middlesex County Supe- rior Courthouse (1813) in East Cambridge. The American those who enjoy the unusual,” wrote Gomes, Meteorological Society, founded in Boston in 1919, acquired who, as the university preacher, now lives its building in 1958. there. *By invitation only. Dana Fellows hold CHS memberships at or above the $100 level. Then, there was the Ten of Diamonds on Co- Sunday, April 30 lumbia Street. When it caught fire in August Spring Benefit 1831, according to the “History of the Fire Ser- Discovering Cambridge: A Touch of Glass vice,” “no attempt was made to save the build- Time: 2:00–4:30 p.m. ing as, on account of its unsavory reputation, Place: Avon Place Glass, 147 Sherman St., Cambridge no one cared to see it saved.” Tickets will go on sale in late March. Glass artistry, antiques, and collectables will be showcased as Thatched roofs have ceased to be the fire haz- we explore the fascinating history of glassmaking in Cam- bridge. Our major fundraising event of the year, it will feature ard that prompted a town ordinance against glass blowing demonstrations, an exhibition of glass made in them in 1632, but untended candles are still a Cambridge, appraisals of antique glass, and more (see page 3). leading cause of house fires. Saturday, May 13 Another threat comes while a building is under Tour of the Massachusetts State Archives Time: 10:00 a.m.–noon renovation. “Absolutely a problem across the Place: 220 Morrissey Blvd. Dorchester board,” said Fire Department historian Stephen Michael Comeau, assistant archivist, will lead us through the Persson. Contractors may use materials not State Archives and display such treasures as the original Mas- used when a building is occupied, and the sachusetts Bay Colony Charter, signed by John Winthrop, and empty building may be wide open, allow ing a the Massachusetts Constitution, written by John Adams. CHS resident archivist Mark Vassar, who is also an archivist at the fire to spread rapidly. “They can go up like a State Archives, will point out research materials pertaining to lumberyard.” Cambridge and discuss the Cambridge connection to the cur- rent exhibition, “Le Grande Dérangement: The Acadian Exile in Massachusetts, 1755–1766,” which he curated. CHS execu- W E G O T M A I L tive director Karen Davis will explain how to use the research files of the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Michael Kenney’s article on the adaptive reuse of churches in our Summer 2005 newsletter triggered this Sunday, June 11 response: The Secret Gardens of Cambridge Time: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. “Several years ago, a new resident of the former Allen The Cambridge Historical Society will serve lemonade and Street church came in to research the property. An artist, offer tours of the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House to those visiting she wasn't aware that the building had once been a gardens throughout the city on this, the 7th annual Open Gar- church; when she found out, she said that explained a dens Day. Sponsored by the Friends of the Cambridge Public lot––her new home and studio were infused with great Library. warmth and comfort. I’ve often wondered how the knowledge that she was living and working in a former Ongoing sacred space influenced her art.” Tours of the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House Tuesday and Thursday at 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00 p.m. Kathleen L. (Kit) Rawlins, assistant director, $5; free for CHS members. Call to arrange a group tour. Cambridge Historical Commission
Winter 2006 The Newetowne Chronicle/ 10
Action on the Roof CHS Councilor Charlie Allen, president of Charlie Allen Restorations, man- aged the extensive roofing project at the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House (see page 4). He has donated countless hours to planning and coordinating the project, preparing the scope of the work, and supervising a cadre of excel- lent subcontractors—including Joseph S. Savini, Inc. (roofing), J. A, Masonry, Inc., and the Robert Leonard Co mpany (carpentry). Thanks to all and to the Cambridge Historical Commission for quickly reviewing neces- sary changes and for the preservation grant that made the project feasible.
Ken Stacey and Nick Savini (above) nail down new roofing material after Bob Leo- nard and John Kreatz (below) removed the balustrade in sections. Tony Martin and John Kreatz re- building the rear chimney
Project manager Charlie Allen (at left); John Mazzeo (below left) pulls paper from a roll of ice and water shield. The new rear chimney is visible above him.
Ken Stacey directs crew replacing the ga- rage roof (below right).
Photos by Lewis Bushnell
Winter 2006 The Newetowne Chronicle/ 11
Thank you, 2005 Annual Fund Donors
$1000 and above Chandra D. Harrington Up to $99 Stephen D. Pratt Charles and Lindsay Coolidge Anna S. Jeffrey Peter Ambler and Lindsay Miller Robert B. Rettig Luise M. Erdmann Mr. and Mrs. William B. King Lucy Arrington Barbara Rimbach Mr. and Mrs. Sigmund E. Mr. and Mrs. Edgar H. Schein Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Bardige Dr. and Mrs. David Rosenthal Herzstein Chester S. Beattie Carole Schildhauer Charles M. Sullivan $100-$149 Jeffrey Berman and Beth Luchner Joanna Scott Daphne Abeel Helen L. Brooks Amy and Gary M. Seligson $500-$999 Caroline and Sherwood Bain Bob and Ruth Crocker Laura Spiro Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Bracken Mr. and Mrs. James J. Baker Gertrude DiNatale Robert R. Sweeney Alfred and Fay Chandler Charles Batchelder Elizabeth M. Dunn Mr. and Mrs. Barclay Tittmann Sally and Ted Hansen Richard E. Bennink Iten Fales Nancy Townsend Mr. and Mrs. Jerrold Hickey Mr. and Mrs. Levin Campbell, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Mason Fernald Joanne J. Tur nbull Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Stein er Richard S. Doring Hyde Gillette Susan and Stanley Twarog Dudley & Borland Eleanor M. Hackett Paul C. Vermouth $250-$499 Nancy Goodwin Henry Hammond Catherine Vogt Kendrick and Marcia Bushnell Janet Kinasewich Sabina H. Harris Elisabeth Wahlen Lois Stiles Edgerly Mr. and Mrs. Warren M. Little Jill M. Herold Barbara P. Worcester George Hanford Robert and Christina Mann Sally Purrington Hild Katherine N. Winslow Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Leighton Dennis C. Marnon Mrs. Edward C. Johnson Nancy B. Woods Marilee Meyer Heli Meltsner Linda Kaboolian and Harold Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin J. Dr. and Mrs. Larry Nathanson Mr. and Mrs. John R. Moot Nahigian Woznick Susan W. Paine Helen F. Moulton Michael Kenney Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell D. Solet Brian R. Pfeiffer Karl H. Klaussen TAGS Hardware Jim Righter Cathy Korsgren Special thanks to Tod Charlotte and Herbert S. Wagner Mr. and Mrs. Harland Riker Mr. and Mrs. Henry Lukas Beaty and the brokers Robin and Laurie Young Ted Rybeck and Ellen Brodsky Mr. and Mrs. Fred Meyer Cynthia H. Sunderland Betty Milhendler at Hammond Real Es- $150-$249 Mr. and Mrs. William A. Truslow Charlotte B. Moore tate for giving 46 mem- Karen Davis and Lewis Bushnell Michael L. Tushman Paula Paris berships to new home- Karen and Peter Falb Henry K. Vandermark Mary Ann Parker owners. Natalie Zinn Haar Joan B. Wylie Louise A. Pfeiffer
The Cambridge Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that relies on membership dues, private con- tributions, and grants to fund its archives, projects, and programs. Every gift is important.
The CHS wishes to thank the Ca m- bridge Plant and Garden Club for their continuous dedication to the maintenance of the gardens at the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House.
Here, (l to r) Patricia Pratt, Shelagh Hadley, Janet Burns, Beth Meyer, Esther Pullman, Phebe Leighton, and Annette LaMond work on the fall cleanup.
Photo by Lewis Bushnell
Winter 2006 The Newetowne Chronicle/ 12
New England Glass Company The Mission of the
Cambridge Historical Society
The Cambridge Historical Society acts as a living re- pository for Cambridge’s tradition and history. It maintains property entrusted to it and collects, pre- serves, and interprets items of historical and antiquar- ian significance. The Society encourages research and involvement in these efforts by its members and the Cambridge Historical Society archives community at large. In so doing, it promotes a better understanding of history as an important factor in the everyday affairs of the city and its residents.
Detail of the New England Glass Company drawn by Louis H. W. Vaupel, ca. 1851. Vaupel was one of the foremost glass en- gravers of his time. (See page 3.)
THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Hooper-Lee-Nichols House 159 Brattle Street Cambridge, MA 02138 ______
“[History] gives us a sense of the relative scale of our own brief time on earth and how valuable it is.”
David McCullough, writer and historian The Boston Globe, February 8, 2006