We’re going waaay back for today’s Torn Down Tuesday feature, the Cooke-Holyoke House.
Cooke-Winthrop house, 30 Holyoke Street (Courtesy of Historic New England, F1151. Halliday Historic Photograph Company photo)
George and Joseph Cooke arrived from England in 1635 and bought several lots southeast of the village from settlers who were leaving for Connecticut. George served as speaker of the General Court and captain of Cambridge’s first militia company, but he returned to England in 1645 and became a colonel in Cromwell’s army. Joseph held local offices and raised a family in America before he went back in 1658. Their homestead—bounded today by Mt. Auburn, Plympton, Mill, and Holyoke streets—included “the hill by his house which have been hitherto reserved for a place to build a fort upon for defense with all the lane leading thereto provided that if the town shall ever make use of it for that end he shall yield it again” (Town Records, Jan. 2, 1636, 25). In 1665 Joseph Cooke Jr. received the five-acre homestead from his father as a wedding gift, and the next year the town granted him “liberty for timber on the Common to build him a dwelling house” (ibid. 162). Three generations of Cookes made little further impression on the town, and in 1761 President Edward Holyoke, anticipating retirement, purchased the property. It passed through Holyoke’s estate in 1769 and was acquired by William Winthrop in 1803.
Cooke estate and its environs in 1897, as seen from the chimney of the Boston Elevated Railway power station at the corner of Kennedy Street and Memorial Drive. Mill Street is in the lower right corner; Holyoke Street runs from lower right to upper left, toward Harvard Square. Although some of these houses were moved, most were razed between 1900 and 1935. (Image courtesy Harvard University Archives, HUV 15)
In 1803 Winthrop “removed the old cills and roof … raised the house and put in new cills; added the third story and put on the present roof instead of the old gambril roof” (William T. Harris, DAR Guide, 74). Winthrop lived there until 1811. In 1832 Sidney Willard, Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages, sold it to Charles Folsom, the former Harvard librarian, who purchased the University Press from Eliab Metcalf a year later. In 1836 Folsom laid out Holyoke Place and subdivided the two-acre property into eight lots. The house passed through many hands until the heirs of the last owner occupant sold it to the trustees of the Phi Delta Psi Club in 1901. It was probably Cambridge’s oldest house when the club demolished it in 1905.
Following a multi-year effort, The Cambridge Historical Commission has made its extensive architectural survey records available to the public digitally through the Cambridge Digital Architectural Survey and History (CDASH) project!
In its original paper form the Cambridge Historical Commission’s Architectural Survey fills 10 filing cabinets of physical materials detailing the history of the city’s built environment. The collection documents nearly every building in the city, demolished or extant, through newspaper clippings, articles, photographs, atlas details, ephemera, correspondence, and more. Now available online, users can browse over 131,000 pages of information covering nearly 15,000 distinct places in the city. Explore this resource at cdash.cambridgema.gov.
Examples of resources that can be found in CDASH
The user interface and the administrative back end for CDASH have been created with the popular open-source repository and discovery platform Omeka-S. Customizations to Omeka-S showcase the versatility of geographic referencing as a means of linking data from diverse sources. In its current form, CDASH is best accessed with a computer. In the coming year, we hope to bring CDASH to small screens and in the field as a GPS-enabled mobile app.
John Albert Moore Mustache-holder Patent No. 278,999. 1883.
Has it ever occurred to you that nearly every mechanical object, tool or gadget we use in daily life was, at some point, a new invention?
“Indeed, it is difficult to recall a single feature of our national progress along materiallines that has not been vitalized by the touch of the inventor’s genius.”
– Henry E. Baker
Henry E. Baker, Jr. (1857–1928). Baker was the third African American admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy. After experiencing racial discrimination, Baker left the Academy and went on to get a Law Degree from Howard University in 1881. While at Howard, he began a job as a copyist at the U.S. Patent Office and later became an assistant patent examiner. He was interested in the history of African American inventors, and published books on the subject. Image: Portrait of Henry Edwin Baker, ca. 1902.
In 1788 the newly created Constitution set the stage for patents by including this clause about intellectual property rights: “[The Congress shall have Power…] to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, be securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” Two years later, the Patent Act of 1790 was passed, and the first patent issued on July 31, 1790 to inventor Samuel Hopkins (1743-1818) of Philadelphia. The patent was for his invention for improving the production of pot ash and pearl ash. The patent was authorized by George Washington, and a panel consisting of The Secretary of State, Secretary of War and Attorney General. However, the U. S. Patent Office was not officially established until 1802. The practice of numbering patents did not begin until 1836. As of that date, approximately 9,957 patents had already been issued. Today, approximately 13.5 million patents have been granted in the U.S.
The Cambridge Chronicle December 1, 1855. Headline announcing establishment of new barrel and cask manufactory of I. Lincoln Bangs.
Following is a somewhat arbitrary mélange of some lesser-known nineteenth-century Cambridge patent holders, gleaned mostly from announcements in the Cambridge newspapers since 1848 (the first year of available digitized papers). Unless otherwise noted, the images below were obtained from Google Patents. Apart from one or two well-known inventors, most of these individuals are virtually unknown.
Looking at these patents it is interesting to see how they illustrate the qualities of their inventor’s minds. Some were everyday laborers, some more educated experts. Their perceived rank in society did not inhibit their creativity and often their invention had nothing to do with their day job. The inventor of the “Moustache holder,” pictured above and detailed below, was a piano action maker; the inventor of “Elastic Stairs” a bookbinder; and the inventor of a “Reversible” Broiler a watchmaker. These inventors seemed to have been keen observers with creative minds, an aptitude for figuring out how things work, and an impulse to make things better. They were problem solvers.
Three of these men were at one point employed as “piano action” makers. Two worked for the Riverside Press. Two were apothecaries, two interested in spring beds, and two were interested in coffee. Two served in the Civil War. One became Mayor of Cambridge. Even on a small scale these examples convey something of the spirit of the American power of invention.
(Note: All quotations in italics are from the U. S. Government Patent Records, as are the electrotyped illustrations, which are included mostly because they are so exquisitely drawn.)
John Albert Moore (1849–1916) Moustache-Holder. Patent No. 278,999. 1883.
In 1883 John Albert Moore was a “piano action maker,” living at 4 Elm St when he came up with an idea to get one’s mustache out of the way while eating.
Detail: John Albert Moore Mustache holder Patent No. 278,999. 1883.
His description of this delightful gizmo stated that it was “formed of a comb, to one side of which a spring frame, having curved arms, is attached, which is raised, and then the comb is passed through the mustache and the spring-frame released, so that the mustache will be held between the comb and the spring-frame, whereby the moustache will be held raised, so that it cannot come in contact with the food being passed into the mouth.”
Joseph F. Townsend (1835 –1893)Suspender-buckle Patent. No. 324,897. 1885.
The 1880 Census lists Joseph F. Townsend as a piano forte maker – an occupation he had held since the age of 22. the year of his patent, he lived on Central Place.
“Be it known that I, Joseph Franklin Townsend, of Cambridgeport, …, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Suspender Buckles; and I do hereby declare the same to be described in the following specification and represented in the-accompanying drawings of my improved buckle as applied to a suspender band or strap.”
“Stooping over to pick up a fair lady’s handkerchief loses its joy when it sacrifices a suspender button.” (The Cambridge Chronicle May 9, 1885)
Henry Allen Miner (1857-1934) Improvement in Clasps. Patent No. 214,577. 1879.
The 1879 Directory lists Henry Miner’s, occupation as clerk at 161 Cambridge St. By 1882, the Directory listed him as an apothecary at the same address, living at 80 Thorndike St.
“My present invention relates to that class of clasps employed in holding up socks, drawers,… and for shortening and supporting sleeves, dresses and other garments…When the clasp is to be used for supporting or holding up a sock, Fig. 2, one pair of jaws is caught over the top or edge of the sock and the other pair over a fold of the leg of the drawers, which, as they pass down inside the sock, prevent the plate A from coming into contact with and chafing the limb of the wearer.”
Miner was a savvy businessman. In 1883 he was one of only 175 subscribers to the new telephone system. His phone number was 7143. It is unknown how successful his clasps for holding up drawers were. But he seemed to have a knack for advertising:
The Cambridge Chronicle June 24, 1882
Charles Robinson (1810-1888) Elastic Loop for Suspending Bedstead-Slats. Patent No. 17,695. 1857.
The Directory of 1855 lists Charles Robinson as a bookbinder and in 1857 as a “spring bed manufacturer” living on River St near Mt. Auburn. By 1880, the Census lists Robinson as “inventor of patents” living at 47 Hamilton St.
The Cambridge Chronicle June 27, 1858
Next in the elastic department comes Robinson’s patent for Elastic Stairs Patent No. 17,234. 1857:
“…the nature of my invention consists in supporting the steps of stairs by springs situated beneath them, substantially as herein described, for the purpose of rending the ascent and descent thereon light, soft and easy…The advantages of elastic stairs, as above described, are obvious. Not only is the tread soft and nearly noiseless, but persons are enabled to ascent and descend the stairs with such ease, as to render the improvement of great value to invalids….”
The Cambridge Chronicle June 20, 1857
Robinson’s obituary refers to him as “Capt.,” an honorific he earned as a young man as commander of the Exeter (NH) Artillery Co. where he was living at the time. His obituary noted that “…the deceased had a large share of inventive genius and produced many ingenious devices of utility and usefulness…Of late years he was employed at his trade as a practical workman, at the Riverside Bindery.” (Cambridge Tribune January 28, 1888)
“That class of flour-sitters now in use, where the flour is rubbed over a sieve by means of a revolving shaft… are objectionable on account of the central rubbing-shaft not being made easily removable, thereby rendering it difficult to clean it or the sieve beneath. My invention has for its object to overcome this difficulty, and consists in making the rubbing-shaft removable and providing it at one end with a disk or head to prevent the escape of the flour, by which arrangement the operation of cleaning the sifter is greatly facilitated.”
Foye was one of those inventors creating items outside his day job. In addition to inventing improvements in flour sifters, Foye was a cabinet maker, and co-owner of “Foye and Conant,” manufacturers of sashes and blinds as well:
The Cambridge Chronicle January 13, 1866
Mayor Frank Augustus Allen(1835 ME-1916 MA) Improvement in Coffee Steamers. Patent 261,575. 1882.
Allen was a successful businessman and politician. In 1874 he was elected to the Common Council (Cambridge’s governing body) from Ward 4, running on a platform of opposition to fraud. In 1876 he was elected President of the Council. He ran for and served as Mayor in 1877 and 1878. In 1882 Allen was living at 263 Harvard St and working at The Oriental Co., importers of tea and coffee in Boston, so it is not surprising he came up with this invention:
Portrait of Frank A. Allen as published in The Cambridge Chronicle, 2 December 1876
“The objects of my invention are to provide an apparatus or utensils for steeping ground coffee, in the process of extracting the beverage, by percolation of very hot water without boiling…so as to obtain all of the fine aroma and flavor without extracting the vegetable flavor, which is objectionable, or other objectionable substances, or dispelling the essential oil and other delicious properties which are carried off by the escape of steam. My invention is more particularly designed for making coffee in large quantities, as required in hotels, saloons, and similar places, but is equally adapted to common household use…”
Elam Rakestraw (1828-1906?) Machine for cleaning and grading coffee. Patent No. 269,461. 1882
A few months after Frank Allen’s invention for domestic coffee making, Rakestraw received a patent for commercial use for cleaning and grading coffee. The 1881 Directory listed him as an engineer working at 1 Hamilton St, Boston, the location of Dwinell, Hayward Co. coffee and spice mill operations. He was boarding at 37 Winsor St, Cambridge.
“Be it known that I, Elam Rakestraw, of Cambridgeport,…have invented a new and Improved Coffee-Grader, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. The object of my invention is to facilitate separating the flat coffee beans or berries from the round beans or berries.”
His mechanism is gorgeously complicated. Flat vs. round berries? Who knew?
Antique Dwinell, Hayward & Co. advertising cream of tartar spice box, ca. 1884-99. Image via eBay
In 1880 Burt Eldon was a watchmaker in business at 475 Main St., living on School Street. He also advertised himself as an optician:
Advertisement for B.E. Shattuck in the 1883 Cambridge Directory
Now what would cause a jeweler and optician to invent a better meat broiler??
“Be it known that I, Burt E. Shattuck…. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible Broilers…the object of my invention is to provide means whereby the relative position of the handles to the clamp-frames for holding the food to be broiled may be reversed, so as to permit all portions of the same to be cooked alike or without over-cooking any part thereof.”
Elias Howe, Jr. (1819-1867) Improvement in Sewing-Machines Patent No. 4,730. 1846.
Elias Howe. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; gift of I. N. Phelps Stokes, Edward S. Hawes, Alice Mary Hawes, and Marion Augusta Hawes, 1937 (accession no. 37.14.26); http://www.metmuseum.org
US stamp honoring Elias Howe, 1940. Image via Wikimedia Commons
Perhaps the most well-known of Cambridge’s 19th century inventors is Elias Howe, Jr. The 1848 Directory listed him as machinist, living on Washington St. Having a hard time launching his new improvement for sewing machines in the U. S., he decamped to England to try his luck. There he had only a brief success. Upon returning to the U.S., he found that Isaac Singer had been manufacturing a replica of his sewing machine. It took five years for Howe to win a court case against Singer, after which he received a royalty on every sewing machine that infringed on his patent, making him a wealthy man.
Sewing Machine Patent Model. Patent No. 4,750, issued September 10, 1846. Elias Howe Jr. of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Image courtesy Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Howe went on to establish the Howe Machine Co. in Bridgeport, CT. In 1862 Howe volunteered with Company D in the Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. Because he had poor health, he did not serve active duty but did contribute financially to buy equipment for the company – later known as “Howe’s Rifles.” He became the Regimental Postmaster, carrying war news to and from Baltimore. He won a gold medal at the Paris Exhibition in 1867, and in 1873 the French Legion d’honneur.
Gordon McKay (1821-1903)Tension Mechanism for Sewing Machine Patent No. 229,049. 1880.
McKay, who was in the shoe business, devised an improvement for sewing soles onto shoe uppers. In 1879 he was living on Mt. Auburn St, in the old “Governor Winthrop Mansion” (approximately where the Harvard dorm by the same name is located today).
“This invention relates to tension devices for sewing machines, and is especially adapted for use on the McKay sole-sewing machine, and to operate in connection with the horn and tension device thereon, as shown and described in U. S. Patent No. 224,063 to J. L. Wilkinson.”
His leather sewing machine, called the “McKay” machine, was for lease only – not for sale. During the Civil War he cranked out 25,000 pairs of shoes for soldiers. The Gordon McKay Lab at Harvard (9 Oxford St) is named after McKay.
Tyler Howe (1800-1880) Elliptic Spring Bed. Patent No. 100,408. 1855. Improved and reissued in 1882.
Tyler Howe was Elias Howe’s uncle. It was after a miserable voyage from California on a hard straw mattress (and a failed attempt at gold mining) that Howe decided to invent a better bed.
Portrait of Tyler Howe as published in New New England Manufacturers and Manufactories: Three Hundred and Fifty of the Leading Manufacturers of New England. Vol. 1. Boston: Van Slyck Comany, page 364.
“The invention has reference to that class of bed-foundations in which each of the slats is supported upon springs arranged near its two ends; and it consists in so forming and applying the springs to their supporting-bars and the slats as not only to form a strong and durable connection, but produce an easy, elastic, and yielding foundation for a mattress…”
It was a huge success. Howe opened a salesroom in New York City and became a wealthy man.
Advertisement for Howe’s bed in the 1859 Cambridge city directory
A lot of people were improving on spring beds in 1858. Google Patents lists eight patents for improvements made that year around the country. One of those was invented by Charles Robinson (above). Another was invented by Rufus Leavitt.
Daniel Chapman Stillson(1826-1899) Improvement in wrench Patent No. 95,744. 1869.
Daniel C. Stillson was a mechanic at the Walworth Company in Cambridge. The company manufactured steam and gas fittings. (It was in the Walworth Manufacturing Co. building that, in 1876, Thomas Watson receive Alexander Bell’s first telephone call.) Stillson’s Pipe Wrench is still ln world-wide use today. There have been slight modifications to its original design, but it remains virtually unchanged.
“The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple, strong, and durable wrench of this character, one which will operate with equal effect upon a cylindrical or a rectangular, or polygonal shaped body…”
Henry W. Matthes (1819-1897)Compressed Air Engines Patent No. 214,050. 1879.
In 1861 Matthes enlisted as a private in the Union Army in Concord, Mass. He served 4 months with the Sharp Shooter regiment before being mustered out in March of 1862 due to disability. The 1878 Directory lists his occupation watchmaker at 42 Pine St. The Census of 1880 lists him still living on Pine Street, occupation “works brass.”
“Be it known that I… have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Air Compressor and Reservoir…My invention consists in a combination of an air-pump, an air-condenser, and two or more tanks or reservoirs, and such suitable connections that air may be conveniently compressed to that degree and in such quantities as may be desired for driving light machinery.”
Alvan Clark (1804-1887)Improvement in Telescopes. Patent No. 8,509. 1851. (Improvement in eyepieces)
Clark was a polymath. Born in Ashfield, MA, he began as an engraver and portrait painter. He arrived in Boston in 1836 and was painting portraits in his studio there while living in Cambridge. The 1852 Directory listed him as an “artist, 15 Tremont Row, h. Prospect n. Austin.” During the Civil War he manufactured field-glasses for the Union Army.
Alvan Clark (1804-1887). Harvard University Portrait Collection, Gift of Mrs. Alvan Clark to the Harvard College Observatory, 1899
Clark’s interest in telescopes was piqued by one of his son’s student assignments with a telescope.
“In my improved eye-piece I have not only sought to … make a simple and substantial eye-piece and one wherein ready access may be easily had to the glasses or lenses in order either to cleanse or repair them, as the case may require”
Portrait of Alvan Clark by Metcalf & Welldon, 1887. Smithsonian Institution Archives.
Since 1846 Clark’s firm, Alvan Clark & Sons had been renowned world-wide for their refracting telescopes. Appleton’s Cyclopedia of American Biography lists his occupation as “optician.”
Israel P. Nelson (1811- ?) Respirator. Patent No. 16,863. 1857.
In the year of his patent Nelson was a machinist living at 60 Market St. In 1861 Nelson enlisted in the 38th Infantry of Massachusetts. He served in Louisiana where he was mustered out 1863 due to disability.
I, Israel P. Nelson, of Cambridge, …, have invented a new and Improved Fireman’s Mask and Respirator, …The attempts which have been made to protect firemen from the injurious effects of smoke and heated air upon the lungs, by causing the air which they breathe to pass through moist Sponge for the purpose of filtering and cooling it, have been but partially successful. My present improvement has for its object the accomplishment of the same end and is based upon the fact that in apartments filled with Smoke to an extent that would render it impossible to breathe at the height of a man’s head above the floor, there is nearly in every instance a draft of cool pure air immediately upon the floor, and a few inches above it. To take advantage of this circumstance, I have adapted a tight-fitting mask to the face of the person, from which depend the air tubes through which he breathes, the extremities of the tubes reaching to within an inch or two of the floor…”
John McTammany, Jr. (1845-1915) Mechanical musical instrument. Patent No. 242,786. 1881.
Born in Scotland, McTammany began his life in the U. S. in Ohio. There, in 1864 he enlisted in the 115th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was wounded in Nashville, resulting in a very long recovery. After the Civil War he returned to Ohio where he took up music and taught organ. This led to his invention of a device including perforated paper that would enable an organ to play automatically. (It became known as a “player piano,” but that was not a term used by him.) McTammany later moved to Boston and began making an automatic organ called an “organette” in Cambridgeport.
“The first to invent, exhibit, manufacture and offer to the world an instrument operated with perforated paper. Investor of the Automatic Organ and the Organette, and other valuable inventions in connection with the music and musical instruments. This is no toy or plaything, but a good- sized organ for ten dollars, that possesses twelve points of excellence over any other organette in the market, and will plan an unlimited number of compositions. Any person can play it. For further particulars call at the Factory, 511 Main St., Cambridgeport, or Louis P. Goullaud, 165 Tremont St., Boston” (The Cambridge Chronicle August 15, 1879)
The Cambridge Chronicle August 16, 1879
Portrait of John McTammany. Image via New England Historical Society
As was the case with inventor Elias Howe of sewing machine fame, others capitalized on his invention. McTammany filed a patent, which, in 1881, stated that he was the “original and prior” inventor of the player piano, but this did not discourage others – including Mason and Hamlin of Cambridge – from continuing to market his invention. There ensued a series of lawsuits. Ultimately, he turned to other inventions, which included perforated paper voting machines.
Edward Kendall (1821-1915) Apparatus for Heating Air Condensing Steam. Patent No. 272,866. 1883.
The Cambridge Chronicle February 11, 1893
We are all familiar with the name. Edward Kendall began in the steam boiler manufacturing business in 1860, in partnership with George B. Roberts. He bought out Roberts in 1887 and included his sons – George F. and James H. -in the business.
“My invention relates to an apparatus which may be termed an “air surface-condenser” or an “air-heater,” and has for its object the utilization of exhaust-steam for heating air to be used in warming buildings, or for supplying pure water by condensation of the steam for feeding steam-boilers…”
Edward Kendall & Sons were in business until Edward Kendall retired in 1905. Kendall was a Prohibition Party candidate, including being the Party’s candidate for governor. He was referred to as “Deacon” in recognition of his years of service in the Pilgram Congregational Church. Kendall Square is named after Edward Kendall.
Osman S. Armstrong (1857-1933)Electric Gas Lighting Apparatus. Patent No. 241,115. 1881.
The year Osman received his patent he was listed in the Directory as a bookbinder at the Riverside Press, living at 56 Trowbridge St. He became quite the sailor. On June 7, 1890, The Cambridge Tribune commented “Mr. Osman S. Armstrong of Putnam Avenue is the owner of one of the staunchest little crafts afloat in the bay at South Boston.” Later articles referred to his taking first prize in championship race of the Bay View Yacht Club, and his 1889 cruise from Boston to Newcastle, NH. In 1906 a newspaper identified him as an Assistant Superintendent at the Riverside Press.
Be it known that I, Osmon S. Armstrong of Cambridge…, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Gas-Lighting Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of the specification.
John P. Jamison (1822-?) Wood Ornamentation. Patent No. 299,984. 1884.
In 1877 Jamison was listed in the Directory as an organ stop maker, living at Florence St. In the 1880 Census he lists himself as “engineer.” In 1884, the date he received this patent, he was 62 years old, and still at 8 Florence St with his occupation listed as machine carving.
“My invention relates to a machine for ornamenting wood in imitation of carving by compression; and it consists in the combination of two die-rolls arranged to revolve in unison and act upon the material in succession, one die being constructed to outline the surfaces to be depressed by cutting…and the other die being constructed…to operate to depress the portions so outlined and complete the design.”
Almond Franklin Cooper (1819-1914) Screw Cap for Metal Cans Patent No. 314,227. 1885.
A descendant of James Fenimore Cooper, Almond F. Cooper lived on Ellery St in Cambridge from about 1872 -1885. Starting off as an agent for the Boston Car Co., by the time of his patent Cooper was president and treasurer of the Boston Standard Car Wheel Co. at 21 Hampshire St. His obituary noted that he had “crossed the continent fifteen times and had twice encircled the globe…he formerly lived in California and was one of the first to look for gold in 1849.” [The Times Union (NY) September 2, 1914]
“My invention relates to an improvement in screw-caps for metal cans and other vessels, and has for its object to enable the cap to be more readily and quickly loosened and unscrewed, or turned down firmly onto it seat or bearing. These caps have hitherto been turned either by the application of the thumb and finger directly to the side thereof, or by means of a removable wrench applied thereto; but these methods are objectionable, as it is not always possible to start or unloosen the cap with the fingers along, while the wrench is liable to be mislaid and not be at hand when wanted. My invention has for its object to overcome these objections…”
Andrew Geyer (1837-1890) Two inventions: 1) Nursing Bottle Patent No. 18,420. 1888 and 2) “Safety Device for Druggists’ Bottles” Patent No. 392,861. 1888.
Geyer was a pharmacist who migrated to Cambridge from Essex, Mass and in 1876 opened up his “Apothecary Store” at the corner of Cambridge and Third Streets in East Cambridge. He was active in Republican politics and was a director of the Cambridge Co-Operative Bank. Geyer died of pneumonia at the age of 53. He was the recipient of two patents for bottle design in 1888. The first was his nursing bottle:
“the leading feature of my design is a bottle of circular shape having one flat side, a flat end, and an inclined or curved neck,….”
His second invention: “Safety Device for Druggists’ Bottles” Patent No. 392,861.1888.
“This invention relates to a… device for securing bottles in place on the shelves on which they are located, so as to prevent the bottle from being removed from the shelf until-the neck-holding device has been first released and expanded.
“In drug stores it is customary to place bottles containing poisons side by side on the same shelf with harmless and non-poisonous medicines. In dispensing medicines fatal and serious accidents have occurred, and are liable to occur, by the carelessness of the dispenser mistaking the poison-containing bottle for another; and to avoid such accidents is the object of my invention…” Or, as The Cambridge Chronicle described it:
The Cambridge Chronicle November 24, 1888
Charles William Rugg (1839-1918) Steam Heating Apparatus Patent No. 348,932. 1886.
During the Civil War, (May of 1864-February 1865) Rugg served as an assistant engineer in the Navy. He was discharged due to a heart ailment. In 1886 Rugg was listed in the Directory as an engineer at 162 Broadway (the factory of Mason & Hamlin Organ and Piano Company), living at 100 Putnam Avenue. He was Commander of Post 30, Grand Army of the Republic.
The Cambridge Chronicle May 2, 1891
Louis Alexandre Touchet, Jr. (1853-1913) Passenger Register Patent No. 286,349. 1883.
In the 1883 Directory Louis Alexandre Touchet, Jr. was listed as an Organ Finisher living at 44 Clark Street. As described in The Cambridge Chronicle (June 23, 1883),
“Louis A. Touchet, an intelligent resident of this city, has invented a fare register….which he believes will reduce stealing to a minimum, and also provide for an income to the companies using it. The invention consists of a box carried with a strap over the neck of the conductor, into which all tickets …are put through an aperture in the top…The apparatus receives tickets, registers fares, and serves as an advertiser on a large scale…”(excerpt)
“My invention relates to that class of fare registers which are designed for use with horse-cars, omnibuses, and similar vehicles; and it consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the parts… by which a more effective device of this character is produced than is now in ordinary use. “
Charles Franklin Davenport (1812-1903) and Albert Bridges (1812-1881) Manner of Constructing Railroad Carriages so as to ease the Lateral Motion of the Bodies Thereof Patent No. 2,027. 1841. Reissued 1850 Patent No. 183
Portrait of Charles Davenport (1812–1903) from Massachusetts of To-Day: A Memorial of the State, Historical and Biographical, Issued for the World’s Columbian Exposition at Chicago, 1892, page 305
Since 1828, Davenport had been involved in the car manufacturing business. Directory 1848: Davenport listed as a car manufacturer (Davenport & Bridges) living on Harvard St near Cross St. Bridges is listed with the same firm, and his home was on Norfolk St. Davenport was a Director of the Hancock Free Bridge Corp., a railroad entrepreneur, and champion of improving the Cambridge side of the Charles River Embankment.
Cambridge City Directory, 1848
“…Charles Davenport and Albert Bridges both of Cambridgeport…have invented a new and useful improvement in railroad carriages by which the inconvenience to passengers arising from the sudden lateral motion of the wheels on the rails is obviated…Most persons, who travel by railroad, experience a continual repetition of sudden jars or shocks, arising from the side way movement of the flanches of the wheels of the car, against the rails of the track, and so extensive are the evils of their frequent shocks, that besides being greatly to the discomfort of the passengers, preventing them almost entirely from reading while traveling in this manner it is highly injurious to the carriages causing the joints and other parts to become loose and soon deranged. The object of our improvements is to obviate the effects of the above lateral motion….”
Today’s post was written by Kathleen M. Fox
SOURCES
“Alvan Clark (1804-1887), George Bassett Clark (1827-1891) and Alvan Graham Clark (1832-1897), American Makers of Telescope Optics” by Pedro Ré. http://astrosurf.com/re/alvan_clark.pdf.
Join filmmaker Federico Muchnik for a special premiere screening of his new documentary, Massachusetts Avenue: Life Along Cambridge’s Main Artery, showing at The Brattle Theatre on Saturday October 18th starting at 12pm.
“A high-flying whirlwind grand tour of Mass. Ave. featuring stunning aerial cinematography, revealing interviews with small business owners, controversial news-making stories (the MIT and Harvard encampments), a look at the city’s political life and the Ave’s history, Central Square’s dance party as seen from above, more dance (!), our local music scene and, of course, the turkeys.”
October is Queer History Month and today we’re honoring the late Mary Leno, a long-time resident of Cambridge, who passed away on September 4, 2025.
Mary was born on November 11, 1940, in Ipswich, MA, where she lived throughout her high school years. Mary worked hard for social justice. She was active in advocating for the LGBTQ community, low- or no-income people, women, and housing justice. Her work for equal rights and dignity for the LGBTQ community earned her a special award from the Cambridge City Council at the city’s annual Pride Brunch. She was a lifelong lesbian. She was a strong advocate of housing for all, and initially moved to Cambridge because the city had rent control.
Mary worked for the Cambridge Commission on the Status of Women for 20 years. She was the cornerstone of Cambridge Women in Cable, a collective that produced programming about women’s issues, perspectives, and experiences, at Cambridge Community Television from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. She starred in a skit called Ladies Against Women Against AIDS with her long-time partner, the late Betty Furdon, and another friend, dressed as conservative older women discussing the AIDS epidemic. She initiated the weekly BeLive series Women in the Arts, Women in Labor, and Women in Health.
Mary recently participated in the Lesbian Coffee Shop hosted by Lesbos, a lesbian-centered community organization. View an excerpt from that talk here:
She was active with and volunteered for the Cambridge Women’s Center, the Women’s School, Food for Free, and the Eviction Free Zone. Mary took great pleasure driving her friends and neighbors places through her self-named Senior Lesbian Urban Transport (S.L.U.T.).
Mary was a daily visitor to Graffiti Alley in Central Square with her step-dog Al and his successors Desi, Bella, and Rosie. One of her photos was chosen for the 2025 Cambridge resident parking sticker.
Graffiti Alley photographed by Mary Leno
She was a photographer and chronicler of social movements. For many decades she photographed graffiti, and later added protest signs and protest t-shirts. Her vast political button collection (the Mary M. Leno Button Collection) is archived at the Cambridge Public Library and Northeastern University.
A box of buttons documenting LGBTQ- and AIDS-related activism. Mary M. Leno button collection, Northeastern University Archives.
Mary would like to be remembered for having a good sense of humor and wrote her own obituary:
She was born and then she died. So long, it’s been good to know you.
All are invited to a Celebration of Mary’s rich life on Sunday, October 19th from 1-4 pm at Sonia at the Middle East Restaurant in Cambridge, 480 Massachusetts Avenue, entrance on Brookline Street. Donations may be made to Just A Start (justastart.org).
Ration book for Rose Shapiro Brown, college graduate, of Cambridge. Image: Cambridge Historical Commission.
80 years ago, on August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito of Japan surrendered, though the official ceremony took place later that year on September 2. Thus marked the end of World War II. This anniversary brings to mind an aspect of daily life on the home front during the war that many today may not know much about: rationing and salvaging. How the needs of WWII permeated daily life has not been seen in subsequent wars and is nearly inconceivable today. As you read this piece, consider how profoundly altered your daily life would be if a similar system were put in place today. In the United States, rationing began in early 1942 and formally ended in 1947.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, joining the war created an immediate and substantial need for metals, electricity, gasoline, food, clothing, tires—virtually everything—to support war production. This led to the rationing system which was designed to ensure that enough essential materials were available for weapons and troop support. Secondarily, rationing aimed to equalize the distribution system for all commodities among citizens and control inflation.
The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was created to administer the rationing system. Subsequent Acts of Congress further regulated rents and wages, and regulated the cost of living.
“When you have used your ration, salvage the Tin Cans and Waste Fats.They are needed to make munitions for our fighting men. Cooperate with youLocal Salvage Committee.” Image: The National WWII Museum, New Orleans. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/
How did the system work?
It was very, very complicated. Administering the program required 8,000 Ration Boards in cities and towns across the country. Ration Books like those above included stamps which did not have a dollar value, but, in addition to dollars, they were required for every purchase. Each member of a family (including infants and children) was required to have a ration book in their name. A person registering for ration books for a whole family needed to present the names, height, weight, eye color, hair color, and sex of each family member and state their relationship to them (natural born, adopted, spouse, etc.).
The books were issued monthly: if the books were used up, the customer had to wait for the succeeding month’s book to get enough stamps to purchase the item. In addition, stamps were numbered to be used only for a specific period of time to prevent hoarding. When the time limit was reached, the stamp was voided. Information about where to get War Ration Books and how to use them was posted in the newspapers leading up to the distribution event. In Cambridge, the books were distributed at public schools.
Stamps had a variety of images: airplane, torch, tank, aircraft carrier, wheat, fruit, etc. as well as alphabetic lettering:
Images gathered from eBay and Yahoo Image Search
Point Rationing
In addition to ration stamps, the system of “Point” rationing was particularly complicated. The point value of a particular item was based on the current availability of the product. This meant that point values changed depending on the supply and demand. The Office of Price Administration published regular updates on changing values:
The Cambridge Sentinel January 23, 1943 (excerpt)
First National grocery store advert (excerpt) as published in The Cambridge Chronicle March 23, 1944
Eventually, the government also issued dime-sized tokens to enable vendors to make “change” for stamps. Red tokens were used as change for red stamps and blue tokens to make change for blue stamps.
The details in the articles below illustrate just how much there was to keep track of before you went to the grocery store!
The Cambridge Sentinel March 6, 1943
The Cambridge Sentinel April 24, 1943
“How to Shop With War Ration Book Two… to Buy Canned, Bottled and Frozen Fruits and Vegetables; Dried Fruits, Juices and all Canned Soups.” Office of Price Administration, February 1943. Collection of the National Archives and Records Administration (NAID: 514549).
Got it? When making purchases, the correct stamp had to be torn out of your book in front the cashier. You could not redeem detached stamps. This was to discourage the black-market stamp trade.
“Stamp Out Black Markets With Your Ration Stamps” WWII Posters Collection, World War II Papers, Military Collections, State Archives of North Carolina.
The first item rationed by the OPA, on December 21, 1941, was rubber. The quota for Cambridge was set at 300,000 lbs.
The Cambridge Sentinel December 20, 1941
In addition to collecting the obvious objects like rubber tires, other items collected for this rubber drive included girdles, rubber shoes, bed pans, gloves, floor mats, and crutch tips. The Central Square Theatre put on a free show for children arriving with rubber scraps. They collected 2.5 tons!
The Cambridge Chronicle July 16, 1942
In the case of toothpaste (which came in metal tubes), before you could purchase a new tube you had to hand over the empty tube so that the metal could be recycled for the war effort. One advertisement stated that “thirty-two toothpaste tubes contain the tin needed for a fighter plane.”
A War Production Board poster encourages Americans to contribute items made with tin to be recycled for use in the war effort. Credit: War Department via defense.gov.
Rationing Food
“…one-fourth of all the food that is going to be produced here during 1943 will go to U. S. armed forces, outside of its boundaries to feed the peoples of the United Nations and those peoples in lands occupied by the Axis…”
TheCambridge Sentinel January 23, 1943
To address complaints of citizens about the privations of rationing system, and in particular, about the U.S. sending food to our allies, the Director of the Office of War Information (OFI) Elmer Davis, delivered a radio speech on December 27, 1942 explaining the reasoning behind this aspect of the system:
“This war can be won only by killing enough Germans to discourage the rest of them. Enough Japanese too, but we can leave them out of this discussion; since in the Pacific area we get food from our allies, instead of sending it to them. Now the Russians, so far, have killed more Germans than everybody else put together; and that is why it makes sense for us to send food to Russia…We send food to the Russian army, because every German who is killed by a Russian is a German whom we won’t have to kill; or, for that matter, a German who will never have a chance to kill American Soldiers.”
New York Times December 28, 1942
After rubber, the next item to be rationed was sugar. Alerts about sugar shortages went out about three months after Pearl Harbor.
“Consumers will have to certify the amount of sugar they have on hand when they register for war ration book No. 1…Each person was allowed to have two pounds of sugar prior to registration. For all sugar in excess of two pounds per person, stamps were torn out of the ration book, preventing further purchase of sugar until the hoards are used up….”
TheCambridge Sentinel March 7, 1942
Book of 5-Pound Home Canning Sugar Coupons, ca. 1943. Robinson and Via Family Papers, National Museum of American History.
The Cambridge Chronicle April 30, 1942
Automobiles, Gas, and Mileage
As well as rationing fuel, gas and mileage rationing was another way to manage the use of rubber and the consumption of gasoline. All car owners had to register their cars for the relevant sticker determined by their car usage. Some of these included:
A = Basic sticker for passenger cars. Allowed 3 to 4 US gallons of gas per week and max 150 miles/mo.
B = For those who could prove that their job required driving more than 150 miles per month. They also had to carry 3 or more passengers. 8 gallons of gas/week.
C = Supplemental sticker for those whose “professional” job required up to 470 miles/mo. (Doctors, dentists)
D = Motorcyclists essential to the war effort. Same ratio of miles as the “A” sticker. 2 gallons/wk.
R = Non-highway vehicles such as tractors.
T = Commercial trucking: 5 gal/wk.
X =Highest priority stickers for those with extraordinary mileage allowances. Some Congressmen also wrangled these. Unlimited gasoline.
Soon enough the joke was circulating that “OPA” stood for “Only A Puny A-Card.”
With the exception of shoes, (rationed beginning in 1943) clothing in general was not rationed. However, since textiles such as wool (for uniforms) and silk (for parachutes) were needed in the war effort, and because clothing factories switched from making civilian clothes to military uniforms, supply was limited. The War Production Board encouraged people to consider reusing, sewing, and mending clothes as their patriotic duty.
1943 Poster: Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make it Do! by Robert Gwathmey. Courtesy PosterGroup.com
1942 poster, Work Projects Administration for the City of New York. War Services.National Museum of American History.
In addition, in 1942, the War Production Board did put restrictions on clothing manufacturers via a policy referred to as the “L-85 Regulations,” limiting how much fabric manufacturers could use to produce civilian clothing. This meant that women’s skirts became shorter, used fewer buttons, and eliminated flaps on pockets and “balloon” blouse sleeves. Men’s suits also had no pocket flaps, narrow labels, and were only single breasted.
The Salvage Operation
Salvaging materials to meet the needs of war production was immense and equally as important as rationing. The clips below effectively illuminate the reasoning, communications, and the systems for salvage collection. Most compelling were those articles that outlined how many pounds or tons of an item were needed to produce specific war necessities. For instance, in the “Save Scrap” advert below we learn that 25 pounds of wastepaper can make eight shell containers. Posters were excellently designed—look at the view down the barrel of an artillery gun (below) calling for saving waste fats. The language and images used to encourage salvaging are so vivid they speak for themselves. And don’t miss the last item in this news report re: ladies hosiery!
The Cambridge Chronicle January 29, 1943 (excerpt)
The Cambridge Sentinel April 18, 1942
The Cambridge Sentinel October 10, 1942
The Cambridge Sentinel September 19, 1942
Scrap iron for war effort, WWII. Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.
The Cambridge Sentinel September 5, 1942
The Cambridge Sentinel February 6, 1943
“One tablespoonful of kitchen grease fires five bullets.” “One pound of kitchen fats makes enough dynamite to blow up a bridge.” Poster: Save Waste Fats For Gunpowder, artist unknown. Courtesy PosterGroup.com
The Cambridge Sentinel October 28, 1944
War ad calling for waste fats collection. Image via Reddit.
Poster “Waste Paper Makes Containers for Blood Plasma” ca. 1941-45. National Archives and Records Administration.
The Cambridge Chronicle November 18, 1943 (excerpt)
Cambridge aiming to collect 555,000 pounds of wastepaper:
The Cambridge Sentinel November 27, 1943
Virtually all countries – Axis or Allied – had a rationing system during the war. In the United States, rationing was ended in stages as supply met demand, but goods remained in short supply after the war.
Rationed Items
Rationing Duration
Tires
January 1942 to December 1945
Cars
February 1942 to October 1945
Bicycles
July 1942 to September 1945
Gasoline
May 1942 to August 1945
Fuel Oil & Kerosene
October 1942 to August 1945
Solid Fuels
September 1943 to August 1945
Stoves
December 1942 to August 1945
Rubber Footwear
October 1942 to September 1945
Shoes
February 1943 to October 1945
Sugar
May 1942 to 1947
Coffee
November 1942 to July 1943
Processed Foods
March 1943 to August 1945
Meats, canned fish
March 1943 to November 1945
Cheese, canned milk, fats
March 1943 to November 1945
Typewriters
March 1942 to April 1944
Duration of commodities rationed in the United States during WWII. Courtesy Ames History Museum.
After the War
The complexities of transitioning from wartime production to peacetime production was anticipated as early as 1942, as seen in this in this excerpt from an article just as rationing was beginning:
The Cambridge Sentinel January 17, 1942
Manufacturers Do Their Part
Wartime needs produced a boom in manufacturing. Many American companies pivoted their manufacturing capabilities to support the war effort. One such company was Maidenform, a manufacturer of women’s bras, underwear, and shapewear. Maidenform began producing vests and parachutes for homing pigeons who accompanied paratroopers and often delivered critical messages. For more on this astonishing story, read “Pigeons in bras go to war” by Lindsay Keating: https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/pigeons-bras-go-war.
After the war, retooling factories for peacetime production presented a different sort of challenge such as shifting from making tanks to making cars. Nonetheless, celebration prevailed:
The Cambridge Chronicle September 13, 1945
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen M. Fox
On August 4 the Mid Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Commission reviewed two development proposals for multi-family and affordable housing on Ellery Street.
60 Ellery Street
A project was approved at 60 Ellery St. to demolish a brick 1923 Colonial Revival structure and construct a 6-story 30-unit building.
60 Ellery Street proposal, KDI Architects
The applicant had been asked to consider design modifications in response to issues raised by the Commission and the public.
60 Ellery Street proposal, KDI Architects
The revisions include the relocation of a transformer below grade which resulted in the addition of another dwelling unit; the elimination of metal panels which were considered too commercial; and an additional 5-foot setback from the sidewalk adding more landscaping in front of the building. A two-story passageway was modified to be more in keeping with the general streetscape.
At 84-86 Ellery St., the Commission reviewed the proposed demolition of an 1877 brick Second Empire/Mansard style double house and the construction of a 6-story building.
84-86 Ellery St, photographed in July 2025
84-86 Ellery Street proposal, AndersonPorter Design
The Commission found the existing building to be historically significant for its architecture and its association with renowned architect and social activist Eleanor Raymond (1887-1989), one of the earliest practitioners of the International style for residential designs in the United States. Eleanor was born in the house and resided there until 1922.
Eleanor Raymond, Architect, and Dr. Maria Telkes (right) at the Dover Solar House in Dover, Massachusetts. Designed by Raymond, this was one of the world’s first solar-heated houses and was completed in 1948.
The applicant agreed to return to the Commission with a revised design.
William Bruce “Bill” King, of Cambridge, Needham, and Phillipston, MA, passed away on July 22, 2025, at age 93, after a brief illness. Beloved and respected by all who knew him, Bill charmed family, friends, and colleagues with bonhomie, long stories, good humor, curiosity, and keen intelligence. He was dedicated to his family, to the law firm where he spent his entire professional career, and to civic engagement in every community he joined.
Above, Bill King at Harvard’s Memorial Hall in 2000
Bill was appointed to the Cambridge Historical Commission in 1973 and served as chair from 1986 until he retired in 2017. By a conservative calculation, Bill attended almost 500 commission meetings and chaired about 350 of them. He was notable for his judicious temperament, calm demeanor, and willingness to be amused at the occasional absurdities of public life. He displayed a conspicuous tolerance of public discourse, with the result that applicants and members of the public generally went away feeling respected even if their views did not carry the day. Among many other accomplishments, Bill contributed to several legislative initiatives that expanded the role of historic preservation in Cambridge and, by example, throughout the Commonwealth.
We thank Bill for his decades of public service and friendship.
The City of Cambridge Historical Commission (CHC) is currently hiring for the Assistant Director position.
About the Department: The CHC was established in 1963 “to promote the educational, cultural, economic, and general welfare of the public through the preservation and protection of … [significant] buildings and places.” As a regulatory agency, the Commission has jurisdiction over two historic and four neighborhood conservation districts comprising more than 3,000 buildings, as well as 48 landmarks and 43 individually restricted properties. It administers a citywide Demolition Delay Ordinance, which pertains to buildings over 50 years old and allows a 12-month delay to explore preservation alternatives. The Commission also works with community groups, public agencies, property owners, and the general public on matters relating to local history and historic preservation.
The Commission oversees an annual allocation of approximately $2 million in Community Preservation Act historic preservation funds, including a Preservation Grant program that supports affordable housing agencies, income-eligible homeowners, and nonprofit owners of significant buildings. The Commission also maintains an historic cemetery and collaborates with the Department of Public Works on maintenance of public monuments.
About the role: The Assistant Director of the Cambridge Historical Commission administers a staff of eight professionals (plus interns and volunteers) and coordinates a variety of day-to-day office functions, including payroll, bill paying, customer service, and managing schedules.
A core responsibility of the Assistant Director is the administration of the Commission’s $700,000 Preservation Grants Program, which supports affordable housing agencies and non-profits with approximately a dozen preservation-related grant projects annually.
The Assistant Director performs high level organization and administrative duties that require confidentiality, sound decision-making and problem-solving abilities, while supporting a positive and collaborative office culture. This position reports to the Executive Director of the CHC.
Gail Willett with a display at Savanna Books, date unknown. Image courtesy Gail Willett.
Today we’re featuring Savanna Books, a bookstore specializing in books about children of color, and the store’s founder, Gail Pettiford Willett. As a Black woman and parent disappointed and frustrated by the scarcity of multicultural books for children and young adults, Willett took it upon herself to make such titles available to the local community as well as her own family. She began this endeavor despite having a psychiatric nursing background and no formal business training. The venture began in the early 1980s as a mail order business run from her home in Cambridgeport.
Gail Willett and her husband Walter inside Savanna Books, date unknown. Image courtesy Gail Willett.
When Willett was ready to expand the business to a storefront, her husband built counters, shelves, and other furnishings to outfit the first brick and mortar location at 858 Mass Ave, which opened in 1989. Willett notes that at the time, this was only one of two bookstores in the United States focusing on children of color.
Gail Willett (center) celebrates the grand opening of Savanna Books with her husband (left) and son, ca. June 1989. Image courtesy Gail Willett.
Gail Willett outside the first location of Savanna Books at 858 Mass Ave in June 1990. Image courtesy Gail Willett.
That same year, a pamphlet outlining the store’s goals was distributed at Freedom House’s 2nd Annual Cultural Holiday Bazaar. It read, in part: We believe that children must have books that reflect their cultures, teach their heritages, and expand their horizons. As parents we have searched for books which provide a positive variety of images for our children. Over the years we have watched many of the best books about children of color go out of print. We decided, then, to become advocates for this literature.
“Savanna Books information” by Gail Pettiford Willett, 1989. Freedom House, Inc. records (M16), Northeastern University Library. http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20329436.
Willett first started the business on her own. She later spoke with publishers who sent sales reps to offer assistance. She then began hiring help at the store, put together a board of friends, and hired a bookstore consultant. Willett started going in to schools for programming and then sponsoring contests to involve families and children.
Article featuring Savanna Books in The Cambridge Chronicle, 3 May 1990.
As part of her efforts, Willett participated in forums on cultural diversity, facilitated workshops and pop-up events at her store for parents and teachers. Willett very much enjoyed hosting author events at the store. Writer and illustrator Pat Cummings agreed to help celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Savanna Books in May 1990.
Gail Willet’s son (left) and two friends outside Savanna Books at 858 Mass Ave in September 1989. Image courtesy Gail Willett.
In 1993, when more space was needed for programming, the business was moved to larger quarters at 1132 Mass Ave in Harvard Square.
Gail Willett outside the second location of Savanna Books at 1132 Mass Ave, ca. 1993. Image courtesy Gail Willett.
Over the years, demand for books depicting diverse cultural backgrounds increased and other bookstores began carrying the titles that a local shopper could once find only at Savanna Books. Facing rising costs and competition, Willett closed her bookstore in January 1996. Following the closure, Willett pivoted back to her home mail-order business.
Gail Willett (right) with Savanna Books customers, date unknown. Image courtesy Gail Willett.
In 1999, Willett continued her path of bringing enrichment to children’s lives through literature and became a program coordinator at the Cambridge Public Library. Most recently, she and close friend Poppy Dade Milner have taken their passion for textiles to create Nguo Fabric Art where their pieces “celebrate and represent the beauty, confidence, creativity, and strength of African culture.”
Gail Willett (right) and Poppy Milner (left) stand with a Nguo Fabric Art display at the Cousen Rose Gallery on Martha’s Vineyard in June 2022. Image courtesy Nguo Art Instagram.
We thank Gail Willett for being a pioneer in bringing books of multicultural richness to the children of Cambridge and Boston for so many years.
Gail Willet’s son sporting a Savanna Books t-shirt, ca. 1990. Image courtesy Gail Willett.
