Meta Partenheimer - The Cambridge Historical Commission Blog

New Finding Aids Available!

Posted on June 26, 2017November 14, 2018 by Meta Partenheimer

The Commission has recently finished conducting inventories on a few of our smaller collections, and the corresponding finding aids for each are now available. Scroll down to read descriptions and view a selection of images from the following collections: Hovey Family Records, Signet Hosiery Company Collection, Squirrel Brand Company Collection, Cambridge Historical Commission Objects Collection, and The Riverside Press Collection.

Hovey Family Records

The Hovey Family Records are a collection of documents, booklets, and photographs which once belonged to the Hovey Family of Cambridge. In 1997, the bulk of the collection was found in a house in Worcester, MA by Shirley Piermarini and these items were donated to the CHC that same year. In 2001, Ms. Piermarini donated five Hovey family photographs. View the finding aid here.

Photograph portrait of a young girl in the Hovey family, taken in 1871.

Caption: Susan A. Hovey’s autograph book, 1876

Signet Hosiery Company collection

In 1926, the Signet Hosiery Company began moving into the newly-expanded Kendall Square Building located at 238 Main Street in Cambridge. Signet and its president William H. Doty encouraged customers to form their own Signet Clubs with their friends and relatives. Weekly membership dues of $1 entitled you to a subscription for hosiery and lingerie at discount prices.

Membership book for the Signet Hosiery Company, 1926

This collection contains materials from the 1920s-1930s, and includes documents relating to Signet Hosiery Company club membership along with a Signet Hosiery Company hosiery box. View the finding aid here.

Signet Hosiery Company hosiery box measuring 3 x 6.75 x 9.5”, c. 1920s-1930s

Squirrel Brand Company collection

The Squirrel Brand candy company started in 1890 in Roxbury, but had a presence in Cambridge beginning in 1915. Their focus was on manufacturing nut-based candies, such as roasted nuts and nougats. Their most popular product was made of caramel, vanilla, and nut taffy called the “Squirrel Nut Zipper.” Squirrel Brand moved to Texas after being purchased by Southern Style Nuts in 1999. The New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) purchased the license for Squirrel Brand from Southern Style in 2004, officially bringing the long-loved company back to Massachusetts.

Cardboard advertisement to “Eat Squirrel Brand Butter Chews,” c. 1940s.

This collection includes advertising materials manufactured for the Squirrel Brand Company, c. 1910-1940, and one copy of a document relating the history of the company from “The History of Candy Making in Cambridge” by the Cambridge Historical Society. View the finding aid here.

Tin container for Squirrel Brand Salted Mixed Nuts, c. 1930s.

Cambridge Historical Commission Objects collection

This collection is composed of objects relating to various aspects of Cambridge history, c. 1890s-1980s. Within the collection are vases, pins, buttons, and badges. View the finding aid here.

Longfellow Home Vase, glazed ceramic, made in Germany, 5.25” in height, no date

Cambridge 50th Anniversary Souvenir Pin, 1896

The Riverside Press collection

The Riverside Press started in Boston as a book-printing factory that began in 1852. Later, Henry Houghton began The Riverside Press along the Charles River in Cambridge.

Photograph of the Riverside Press building, c. 1910

The Riverside Press collection contains photographic materials related to The Riverside Press. Subjects include architectural views of The Riverside Press buildings, interior views, machinery, and construction views, c. 1890s-1950s. View the finding aid here.

Photograph of the first automatic fed cylinder press at Riverside, c. 1910

Currently, these findings aids are only available in paper format at the Commission. To view the finding aids for these collections, or to schedule an appointment for in-person research, please contact the Cambridge Historical Commission today at 617.349.4683 or e-mail our Archivist, Emily at egonzalez@cambridgema.gov.

Frederick Hastings Rindge Collection

Posted on June 20, 2017November 14, 2018 by Meta Partenheimer

In the late 1990s, Ronald R. Rindge donated a collection of materials that had belonged to his grandfather, the philanthropist Frederick Hastings Rindge (1857-1905). Earlier this month, Frederick Hastings Rindge’s great-great-granddaughter, Melissa Rindge, came to visit the commission. CHC Executive Director Charles Sullivan showed Melissa a selection of Rindge items. This collection is comprised of materials relating to the Rindge family’s business interests in New England and Frederick Hastings Rindge’s donations to the city of Cambridge, including the Cambridge Public Library (1887), Cambridge Manual Training School (1888), and City Hall (1889).

rindge1 — Charlie showing Melissa the Cambridge Manual Training School Yearbook from the class of 1897.

Born to a wealthy textile merchant family in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 21, 1857, Frederick Hastings Ridge grew up to become a successful businessman. Rindge was privately tutored before continuing his education at Harvard. The passing of his parents in the late 1880s left him with an inherited estate of approximately 2 million dollars.

F_Rindge001 — Portrait of Frederick Hastings Rindge from his book *Happy Days in Southern California*.

The Cambridge Historical Commission is proud to house the Frederick Hastings Rindge Collection, which contains materials from 1852-2001. Included are correspondence, photographs, financial records, family papers, and architectural drawings, among other items.

ledger — Ledger page detailing real estate and property inventory, 1 July 1893.

Rindge’s business interests in New England comprised a number of textile mills and manufacturing companies and he owned a large number of real estate properties, mostly inherited from his father. Many of our records represent the family business as well as Rindge’s philanthropic efforts.

Monadnock_Mills001 — Photograph of Monadnock Mills, located in Claremont, New Hampshire c. 1890s.

Monadnock_corresp001 — Monadnock Mills comparison financial statement, 31 May and 30 November 1897. Francis J. Parker was one of Frederick Hastings Rindge’s business managers.

Happy_days001 — *Happy Days in Southern California* was published in 1898. The book begins with a history of this region and follows with descriptions of animals, flora, and scenery.

In 1888 Rindge relocated to California, where he purchased large tracts in Los Angeles and a 17,000-acre Spanish land grant north of Santa Monica that is now occupied by the town of Malibu. Between 1888 and 1890, Rindge’s old schoolmate, William E. Russell, then Mayor of Cambridge, urged him to fund the construction of a number of projects in Cambridge, including the Cambridge Manual Training School (later renamed the Rindge Manual Training School and now the Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School). Rindge hired the architects, superintended the construction, hired the faculty, reviewed applications from students, and supported the school for five years before turning it over to the city. Because Rindge was living in California, all these matters were the subject of extensive correspondence with his agents in Boston.

RMTS001 — Rindge Manual Training School Register, March 1903.

RMTS002 — Photograph of the Rindge Manual Training School baseball team, 1925.

Many records held in the collection relate to the Cambridge Manual Training School and Camp Rindge, a summer camp program for the CMTS students at Lake Winnipesaukee, NH.

Camp_Rindge001 — A tent erected at Camp Rindge, c. 1893.

This collection is open for viewing and research at the Cambridge Historical Commission. Stop by during our research hours: Monday: 4:00-7:00PM, and Tuesday/Thursday: 9:30-11:30AM and 2:00-4:00PM, or feel free to call and make an appointment with our archivist!

The Archivists’ Corner: Getting to know your CHC archives staff, Part 2

Posted on May 25, 2017October 24, 2017 by Meta Partenheimer

This month, we are highlighting our fabulous archives staff here at the CHC. Our part-time archives assistants, interns and volunteers do it all — from processing collections and writing finding aids, to cataloging the research library, taking care of fragile objects and collections materials, and promoting it all on social media.

Our second staff post features Meta Partenheimer, Digitization Assistant.

Hi, my name is Meta, and I work at the Cambridge Historical Commission as a Digitization Assistant. Before beginning my work, I started at the CHC through an internship while taking a course at Simmons, and came back to volunteer over the winter break.

books-1 — A quick snapshot of the stacks I took last fall during a tour at the Massachusetts Historical Society.

I grew up in a small town in east-central Illinois, and attended college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While attaining my undergraduate degree in art history, I recognized that I loved spending time browsing the stacks and researching, and wanted to facilitate that experience for others.

After school, I moved to Oklahoma City where I worked for The American Pigeon Museum & Library, and the Oklahoma Historical Society. Working at these institutions helped me realize I wanted to become an archivist, and I decided to apply to the Master of Library and Information Science program at Simmons. Currently, I am halfway through my work towards an MLIS with an archives concentration. In addition to working at the CHC, I also intern at the John F. Kennedy Library.

pidge — A collection of racing homer photographs from The American Pigeon Museum.

My dream job would be professional beer tester—but I think more realistically I would love to work as an archivist with the Archives of American Art in Washington, DC. When I’m not archiving or catching up on homework, you can probably find me listening to a true-crime podcast, going to the gym, or catching up on my favorite British drama shows.

Fun facts about me:

My first paying job was detasseling corn the summer before I turned thirteen.
I have a cat named Winslow

winslow — Winslow at Christmastime on the farm in Illinois.

I am an avid fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder

bball — My first OKC Thunder game vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.

One of the strangest things I’ve discovered during my archival career was with the Manuscripts department at OHS. One summer, we were charged with collecting and preserving items from the State Capitol Publishing Museum, which had been closed for a number of years. While recovering a drawer of documents, I came across a small mummified mouse which my colleagues and I dubbed “Frontier Mouse.”

mouse — Each drawer on this wall held a blank book of forms for orders, permits, and other paperwork. I found “Frontier Mouse” in the top row.

So far, my favorite archival find at the CHC is a collection of cyanotypes that were taken during the construction of the subway system in Boston, Cambridge, and surrounding areas.

Currently, I am working on digitizing our architectural survey files, processing collections, and creating posts on CHC social media.

Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) Photograph Collection

Posted on May 18, 2017November 14, 2018 by Meta Partenheimer

In July 1891, owing to dense streetcar traffic, a result of increasing populations and the industrial strides of the late nineteenth century, a Rapid Transit Commission was created to resolve the transportation dilemma of Boston and its neighboring communities.

Proposed_location_Main_St001 — Proposed Location, Underground Structures for Main St., 19 May 1909

The commission researched traffic conditions in the city’s densest areas, namely Tremont Street, and presented a report recommending construction of an elevated railway system and a tunnel for streetcars to alleviate congested conditions in Boston and surrounding areas. Citing this report, the Massachusetts Legislature approved the Boston Elevated Railway Company (BERy) for incorporation on July 2, 1892.[1]

Brattle_Sq_progress001 — Brattle Square Progress on Excavation, 15 November 1909

The Cambridge Historical Commission holds approximately 1,200 glass negatives taken by the Boston Elevated Railway between 1907 and 1912. These images primarily document the construction of the Cambridge Subway in 1909-1912.

S_side_Mass_ave_Brookline_to_Pearl001 — South Side of Mass. Ave. from Brookline to Pearl Street, 17 February 1909

The Commission also holds a collection of about 200 cyanotypes donated by Frank Cheney. These prints were made from negatives that are not held in the CHC collections. Many of the cyanotypes in the collection depict the construction of the Charles River dam and viaduct.

Charles_Riv_dam001 — Charles River dam, lower side looking toward Cambridge, 31 July 1907

Charles_Riv_dam002 — Charles River Bridge, Foundation #4, 1 December 1907

Others document the construction of the underground tunnel on Brattle Street.

Brattle_Street001 — Brattle Street, 20 June 1910

General William A. Bancroft was president of the Boston Elevated Railway from 1899 to 1916 and proved a great influence in expanding the lines in Cambridge.[2] In the words of one writer at the Cambridge Chronicle, “No suburban city is more vitally interested in rapid transit than Cambridge.”[3]

Mass_ave_incline001 — Looking down Mass. Ave. incline, 15 November 1911

The Commission holds several boxes of BERy cyanotypes in the archives as well as vertical research files in our main office. To research our BER-y photographs and related collections, please contact our archivist, Emily Gonzalez by e-mail at egonzalez@cambridgema.gov or by phone at 617.349.4683.

References

[1] Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, “The Rapid Transit Commission and the BERY,” MBTA > About the MBTA > History. Accessed May 15, 2017. http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/history/?id=962.

[2] Susan E. Maycock and Charles M. Sullivan, Building Old Cambridge. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2016.

[3] “What it Means to Cambridge,” Cambridge Chronicle (Cambridge, MA), May 12, 1894. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2r9KAyL.

Researching Your Building at the CHC

Posted on May 8, 2017November 14, 2018 by Meta Partenheimer

May is Preservation Month, and over the next few weeks we will be posting about a couple of preservation-related archival projects that we are working on over here at the Commission.

Here at the Cambridge Historical Commission, our holdings are centered on the built environment of the city, with strong collections on the social, business, and industrial history of Cambridge. Formats include photographs, manuscripts, architectural plans, and books, among other mediums. The most valuable intellectual asset of the Commission is our collection of architectural survey files, documenting the history of every building (over 13,000) in Cambridge.

blog-1 — An example of an architectural survey form from CHC’s files. Between 1964 and 1977, the commission surveyed and photographed every building in Cambridge.

As our largest collection, the architectural survey files contain architectural survey forms, photographs, news clippings, and like materials for buildings in Cambridge.

blog-2

blog-3 — The Executive Director of the CHC, Charles M. Sullivan, documented interior and exterior conditions before this home underwent renovations in the early 1980s.

Each file holds documents on every current building in Cambridge as well as records of many demolished buildings. An address may contain one sheet or boast an entire file folder depending on its history in the community.

blog-4 — Many files contain a history of the address from its original purchase. These documents contain valuable information including dates and prices of sale or taxes, and a description of the building.

These files are used quite frequently by architects, building managers, or homeowners, and are open for research.

blog-5 — Included in some files are newspaper clippings regarding the building’s history or current projects. This clipping from 1983 details a renovation project at this home on Otis Street.

As these files currently exist only in physical format, a patron must perform any research with our survey files in-person. The Commission is currently embarking on a pilot digitization project to improve access. This project will facilitate the creation of a searchable and browsable database, which will allow us to upload and share our survey files online.

blog-6 — Taken by Alex Beatty in 1988, this image depicts the finished renovation of 67-69 Otis Street. Image courtesy of the Cambridge Historical Commission.

Please feel free to contact the Cambridge Historical Commission to explore the history of your property. Our research hours are Mondays 4:00-7:00pm, and Tuesday through Thursday 9:30-11:30am and 2:00-4:00pm. Check our blog often for updates on our other projects, and for news on when our digital files will be accessible!

Cambridge Recreation Department Collection

Posted on May 4, 2017November 14, 2018 by Meta Partenheimer

The Cambridge Recreation Department Collection is now processed and available for research! This collection was donated to the Cambridge Historical Commission in August 1995 by Curtis Gaines, an employee of Human Services.

The Collection

This collection includes scrapbooks, books, and photographs that once belonged to the Recreation Department, as well as photographs that were already in the possession of the CHC. Much of the materials consist of City Council orders concerning park maintenance and upkeep, as well as department financial matters. The collection also includes budget appropriations materials, planning materials for parks and playgrounds, and department reports.

park_plan001 — Preliminary Design for the Proposed Observatory Hill Park, Cambridge Planning Board, March 1950. Courtesy of the Cambridge Historical Commission.

A Brief History of the Recreation Department

The Cambridge Recreation Department was established in 1892 as the Cambridge, Massachusetts Park Commission. The Board of Park Commissioners with chairman General E. W. Hincks were now tasked with providing Cambridge citizens with a worthy park system. Previously, Cambridge only had a few poorly planned and maintained public parks with no public programs.

Council_orders001 — Cambridge City Council Order March 29, 1892, ordering “…the Committee on Parks be directed to consider and report upon the advisability of purchasing a tract of land…”

The commissioners hired landscape architect Charles Eliot and his firm, Olmsted, Olmsted, & Eliot to improve the existing parks and plan new ones in poorer, more congested neighborhoods. In 1894, the city acquired Donnelly Field in East Cambridge, Rindge Field in North Cambridge, and the entire Cambridge frontage of the Charles River. The latter section gave the department 800 acres of mud flat and degraded salt marsh by eminent domain and by 1914 a park was created along the length of the city’s shoreline. In 1910, the city began to construct playgrounds and to operate recreation programs there, and these functions expanded after the riverfront park was transferred to the Metropolitan District Commission in 1921.

Approp_request001 — City Council Order asking that the Park Commissioners purchase “Jerry’s Pit” to create a swimming pool. Dated April 7, 1914.

Maypole events were organized by the Cambridge Park Commission in the 1920s and 1930s. After the crowning of a “May Queen,” the young and gaily attired girls of the city would dance around the Maypole. Following this ceremony, there would be music, baskets of flowers, and other spring-themed activities for the children.

May_Pole002 — This image depicts a scene from a May festival on the Cambridge Common c.1925. Courtesy of the Cambridge Historical Commission.

After World War II, the responsibilities of the Park Commission were divided between the Department of Public Works and the Human Services Department. DPW began to oversee the parks, while Human Services took over recreational programs.

hockey001 — A group of teenagers posing on the ice during the 1940s. Three are holding hockey sticks.

We will soon be adding images from this collection to the Cambridge Recreation Department Collection on the Cambridge Historical Commission Flickr page. Follow us on Flickr and Instagram to stay up-to-date!

Ella Jepson Nylander Photograph Collection

Posted on April 24, 2017November 14, 2018 by Meta Partenheimer

In this post, our archives assistant Meta shares highlights and images from the recently processed and digitized Ella Jepson Nylander Photograph Collection. This collection is open for research at the CHC.

This collection consists of photographs found in a trunk that belonged to Ella Jepson Nylander. Mrs. Nylander was born Rozella Josephine Jepson in New Sweden, Maine in 1883 to Swedish immigrants Mons and Elna Jepson. Ella and her husband Olof Conrad Nylander lived within the closely-knit Swedish-American community in Cambridge for many years, and a number of the photographs in this collection were taken by photographers in Cambridge and across the water in Boston. Members of the Nylander and related families are represented in the images, in addition to friends and fellow church-goers of the Swedish Baptist Church located at the corner of Washington and Columbia streets.

nylander_1 — *Portrait of Anna Nyman (left) and Ella Jepson Nylander (right)*, c. 1890-1905.

Cambridge began seeing a rise in Swedish immigrants during the late-nineteenth century, and by 1905 the population had reached 1,645. Many Swedes were employed in trades and as craftsmen, but quite a few members of the younger generation began working in a more professional capacity. The Swedish and Swedish-American community in Cambridge was a close-knit and religious group during this time, and many of their activities centered on their religion.

nylander_2 — *Portrait of Olof Conrad Nylander (left) and Otto H. Anderson (right)*, c. 1900-1910.

Ella Jepson married Olof Conrad Nylander in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 30, 1908, and the ceremony was performed by Reverend C. (Carl) E. Johnson, the couple’s first pastor in Cambridge. Reverend Johnson became the pastor for this congregation in 1899. During his time in Cambridge, Reverend Johnson performed wedding ceremonies for various friends of the Nylanders and was very active in organizing church social events.

nylander_3 — *Portrait of Reverend Carl E. Johnson*, c. 1900.

By 1902, the Swedish Baptist congregation in Cambridge had expanded to over 100 members and began taking bids to create a new church. Many members of the congregation were said to be poor or working class immigrants, and the surrounding community of Cambridge was encouraged to aid in fund contributions to the new church. Construction began in late 1902, and during this time the congregation worshiped in the YMCA building. The cornerstone for the new church was laid on March 8, 1903 and dedicated the following May in 1904. As it stands today, the building at 77 Columbia Street is a substantial improvement to its predecessor and embodies the spirit of community and fellowship of the Swedish community in Cambridge.

nylander_4 — *Swedish Baptist Church at 77 Columbia Street, Cambridge*, c. 1903-1915.

For a more in-depth history of this collection and the individuals photographed, click the following text to open the Ella Jepson Nylander Photograph Collection finding aid.

To view the full collection of digitized images, visit the Cambridge Historical Commission Flickr page.

References:

“Ancestry,” Retrieved from http://www.ancestry.com/.

“Death of Iowa Rev. Olof Lindh.” Cambridge Chronicle, October 12, 1912. Accessed October 7, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Chronicle19121012-01.2.117&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Harvard Square.” Cambridge Tribune, June 15, 1907. Accessed October 11, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Tribune19070615-01.2.44&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Midsummer Festival.” Cambridge Chronicle, June 29, 1918, Accessed October 11, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Chronicle19180629-01.2.59&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Midsummer Festival by Swedish Church.” Cambridge Chronicle, June 28, 1919. Accessed October 11, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Chronicle19190628-01.2.54&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“New Swedish Baptist Church.” Cambridge Chronicle, July 19, 1902. Accessed October 7, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Chronicle19020719-01.2.157&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Over 600 Present at Annual Swedish Night.” Cambridge Chronicle, March 10, 1923. Accessed October 11, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Chronicle19230310-01.2.75&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Proposed Swedish Baptist Church.” Cambridge Tribune, March 7, 1903. Accessed October 7, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Tribune19030307-01.2.109.3&srpos=9&e=–1846—1935–en-20–1-byDA-txt-txIN-%22swedish+baptist+church%22+columbia—–#.

“Prospect Union.” Cambridge Sentinel, January 7, 1911. Accessed October 11, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Sentinel19110107-01.2.58&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

“Swedish Baptist Church.” Cambridge Tribune, June 13, 1896. Accessed October 7, 2016. http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Tribune18960613-01.2.51&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN——.

Woods, Robert A. and Albert J. Kennedy, The Zone of Emergence: Observations of the Lower Middle and Upper Working Class Communities of Boston, 1905-1914. Abridged and Edited with a Preface by Sam Bass Warner, Jr., 70-74, Cambridge: The M.I.T. Press, 1962.