Winter 2007 The Newetowne Chronicle/ 1 The Newetowne Chronicle A publication of the Cambridge Historical Society IN THIS ISSUE P E O P L E A N D P L A C E S Winter 2007 Volume VII, Number 1 A Kids-Eye View of Huron Village _________________________ By Michael Kenney P E O P L E A N D P L A C E S Kids-Eye View of Huron Village The 1903 Cambridge atlas shows just 9 residences––and not a single commercial cover story establishment––along Huron Avenue between Lakeview and Fayerweather streets. The remaining frontage in that area, now the thriving commercial district F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T Your Council at Work known as Huron Village, appears as empty house lots. page 2 But fast-forward just a dozen years to the 1916 atlas, and 19 residences appear, F R O M T H E D I R E C T O R Think Spring and Summer along with 4 commercial structures––with just one empty lot remaining. And page 3 with houses having filled in the lots along the side streets––Standish, Chilton, and Gurney––as well as up toward La rch Road and down toward Reservoir S O C I E T Y N E W S Street, the “critical mass” needed for commercial establishments had arrived al- Annual meeting reports page 4 most before shrubs had been planted and front yards seeded. K E Y N O T E A D D R E S S The Cambridge Historical Society, two years in the future when the 1903 atlas The Dana Family was compiled, will celebrate the history of Huron Avenue and its neighborhoods Page 7 at its annual spring benefit, which will be held on May 6 at the former Faye r- R E C E N T P R O G R A M S weather Street School, now the home of the Lander family (see page 3 for de- Preserving Your Family History tails). The Cambridge Railroad page 7 An item in the Society’s archives––a report prepared in 1984 by students at the F R O M T H E L I B R A R Y & Fayerweather Street School––as well as city atlases, help to trace the area’s de- A R C H I V E velopment. The catalyst was the opening of a trolley line in 1894––a line that Mark Time page 8 (continued on page 6) C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S page 9 ______________________ Photographs by Lewis Bushnell unless otherwise credited. THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Hooper-Lee-Nichols House Cambridge Historical Commission 159 Brattle Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 Phone: 617-547-4252 Web site: www.cambridgehistory.org E-mail: [email protected] Huron Avenue near Chilton Street in the late 1930s, looking east Winter 2007 The Newetowne Chronicle/ 2 OFFICERS Theodore L. Hansen F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T completion. At the Annual Meeting, President Kathy Born presented Daphne with a Katheen Born Your Council at Work Certificate of Appreciation in recogni- Vice President tion of her hard work and dedication as Chandra Harrington In 2006 your council––a slightly old- Vice President editor of CHS publications. fashioned name for the Society’s board Maxwell D. Solet of directors––began a process of strate- Vice President Eliot Klein served as a councilor for Andrew Leighton gic planning, following the completion three years and has been instrumental in Treasurer in 2005 of our first 100 years. Council- attracting business sponsorships for the Thomas Bracken ors considered such basic organizational Secretary Society. Sue Poverman, who also served questions as: What is our particular Lindsay Leard Coolidge a three-year term, has been active in niche in collecting and preserving Cam- Curator planning our Spring Benefits. Both Sue Michael Kenney bridge history? What are we trying to and Eliot will continue to serve on the Editor accomplish? At a retreat last March at- Development Committee. tended by councilors, advisors, and COUNCILORS Ted Hansen staff, we all took a hard look at the pre- Charlie Allen Darleen Bonislawski sent operations of the Society, its suc- Robert G. Crocker cesses and its challenges. At subsequent Heli Meltsner monthly meetings, the Council exam- Paula Paris Mary Webb ined how the Society can work with the New Council members Cambridge Historical Commission and ADVISORS the Cambridge Public Library. (Please Darleen Bonislawski Daphne Abeel see my column in the Fall 2006 Newe- Born in Cambridge, Darleen has a pri- M. Wyllis Bibbins towne Chronicle for more details on the Carol Cerf vate law practice in Cambridge and has Luise M. Erdmann strategic planning process.) been a community activist since the late Karen F. Falb 1960s. She chairs the Cambridge Ele c- George H. Hanford One sign of a healthy and forward- tion Commission. Swanee Hunt looking nonprofit organization is the D. Eliot Klein leadership role the councilors play in Dennis C. Marnon Michael Kenney Ellen G. Moot setting an example for fundraising ef- A retired reporter for the Boston Globe, Larry Nathanson, M.D. forts. Here I am pleased to report that in Michael is a book reviewer and free- Brian Pfeiffer the Annual Appeal, contributions made lance writer on local and regional sub- Susan S. Poverman by the council and advisors not only ac- jects. Charles M. Sullivan counted for a significant portion of the STAFF total, but each councilor responded gen- Heli Meltsner Karen L. Davis erously to a challenge grant issued by A preservation consultant, Heli is cur- Executive Director one of the councilors. Add to that the rently researching and writing a book on Lewis Bushnell contributions of our members and other Associate Director the surviving poorhouses of Massachu- Sally Purrington Hild supporters, and we raised over $36,000, setts. She is on the Avon Hill Neighbor- Program Director twice the amount we raised in 2005. hood Conservation District Commission, Victoria Hickey as well as the board of the Cambridge Assistant I would like to recognize and thank Center for Adult Education. Mark J. Vassar three councilors who completed their Resident Archivist Shane LeGault terms at the 2006 Annual Meeting. For- Resident Fellow tunately, all three will remain active as advisors and committee members. The Newetowne Chronicle is Daphne Abeel served six years as the published three times annually Society’s editor. The triennial public a- by the Cambridge Historical Society. tion of this newsletter and the Society’s forthcoming book on Cambridge in the 20th century are her legacy. She will continue as editor of the book until its Winter 2007 The Newetowne Chronicle/ 3 F R O M T H E D I R E C T O R Think Spring and Summer Our annual Spring Benefit is an essential source of operating income for the Society. This year’s budget asks us to raise $25,000 On Sunday, May 6, the Society will celebrate from businesses, institutions, and our mem- the history of the Huron Avenue neighborhood bers. It is an ambitious goal, but with your sup- at its annual Spring Benefit. The Lander family port we can do it. has generously donated their extraordinary home, secluded in the heart of Huron Village, This summer we are planning a fun educational as the site. This location, together with the program for children and families funded by a charming and well-documented report done by grant from the Massachusetts Society of the students at the Fayerweather Street School (see Cincinnati. The program––called a Tory Row cover story), inspired us to explore the history Quest––is being developed by educational con- of the Huron Avenue area, which is a quintes- sultant Janet McNeil. The self-guided history sential streetcar suburb. treasure hunt will involve searching for a vari- ety of clues that will illuminate the important The afte r- role of people and places in Cambridge during noon will in- the American Revolution. clude tours of Karen L. Davis the house, which was And the answer is…. converted Peter Vanderwarker from the © The photograph on the back cover appears to be the intersection of Huron and Concord avenues in the Fayerweather 1920s. Please contact CHS if you have pictures of Street School the Huron Avenue area that you would like to donate into a stun- or allow us to scan for our archives. ning contem- porary resi- dence by Cambridge A thank-you to our skilled volunteers architect Maryann Thompson, a silent auction of items donated by local merchants, a chance Chip Allen, a help desk system administrator at the Radius Specialty Hospital (read IT exp ert), regularly to record your memories of living, working, rescues us from vexing computer problems. playing, or shopping in the area, a hearty re- Annie Brown, a history teacher, is developing a local ception donated by your favorite neighborhood history curriculum, “Cambridge Firsts,” which will shops and restaurants, opportunities to wander be posted on our website for teachers to download in the spectacular garden designed by the Cam- and use in their classrooms. bridge landscape architect Michael Van Val- Luise Erdmann edits this newsletter and all our mail- kenburgh—and, of course, some fascinating ings. history. Martin Evans, a retired professor of organizational behavior, is working on databases that we will use to increase our vis ibility in the business community. Charles Sullivan, the executive director of the Annette LaMond and her group of volunteers from Cambridge Historical Commission, will de- the Cambridge Plant and Garden Club take great care scribe the evolution of the neighborhood from of the HLN house grounds.