View of Fresh Pond Hotel, 1896 (Cambridge Historical Commission)
The Fresh Pond Hotel was built in 1796 on the bluff overlooking the pond on eight acres of land that Jacob Wyeth had purchased from his father, Ebenezer Wyeth.
Detail: Peter Tufts, A Plan of The First Parish in Cambridge, 1813
By the early 1790’s the West Boston Bridge and the Concord Turnpike had made the area attractive to wealthy Bostonians escaping heat and crowds in the city, and Jacob Wyeth’s hotel became a popular resort. Wyeth hired the architects Joseph Moore and John Walton to design the hotel building in the Federal style, which was later updated to the newly popular Greek Revival style.
Lithograph depicting the Fresh Pond Hotel, ca. 1845 (History Cambridge)
Other factors contributing to the hotel’s success were “the building of Mount Auburn Cemetery and Watertown Branch Railroad (which brought people directly to Fresh Pond). It wasn’t long before the Hotel became a buzzing social center. It gave people a place to escape the city heat in the summer and offered fishing, fowling, sailing, rowing, bowling, fine dining with wines and other alcohols, and an orchestra for dancing.”
Cambridge Chronicle, April 8, 1847
Cambridge Chronicle, August 10, 1861
When, in the 1880s, the hotel was refused a liquor license, business began a downhill slide which lead to its closing. In 1885, the property was sold to the Sisters of St. Joseph who converted the building for their convent.
Cambridge Chronicle, March 14, 1885
Cambridge Press, March 23, 1889
In 1892 the former hotel/convent went up for auction and was bought by John E. Perry, a Cambridge Alderman. He moved the building to 234 Lakeview Avenue, where it was converted to apartments. Although the exterior clapboards were replaced by stucco, the interior space retains much of its original detail. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
234 Lakeview Avenue, August 2019 (Google Street View)
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox.
Sources
“Inside the Architecture: Fresh Pond Hotel” by NeighborMedia Archive. https://www.cctvcambridge.org/node/614987. Building Old Cambridge, Susan E. Maycock and Charles M. Sullivan, Cambridge Historical Commission. MIT Press 2016.
Imagine this: The year is 1850, and you are standing at the current intersection of Somerville and Massachusetts avenues at Porter Square, looking toward West Cambridge (now Arlington). To your left are acres of cattle and sheep pens. There is a cacophony of bellows, snorts, and grunts along with mooing and bleating. At the weekly Wednesday Cambridge Cattle Market, you can inspect up to 2,500 cattle and sheep for sale. Think of the sounds. Think of the manure!
In the early 1800s, cattle drovers en route to Boston from Maine, New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts would stop near Union Square (now called Porter Square) in Cambridge to water themselves at the Davenport Tavern and their cattle at feed lots across the street. In 1833 Sylvester Edson of Vermont bought the pens, erected a slaughterhouse, and built a hotel adjacent to the cattle market. In 1837 the hotel was purchased by Zachariah B. Porter (1797-1864, also a Vermont native), who already had a successful hotel across the Charles at the Brighton Cattle Yards. Of course, he renamed the hotel the Porter House, from which we derive the name “Porter Square” and, as some attest, the “Porterhouse steak.”
The cattle market, hotel, and associated businesses soon created the need for a local bank. In the early 1850s, George Meacham and others established the Cattle Market Bank. Meacham was a real estate investor, North Cambridge landowner, and prominent cattle broker. He became a director and subsequently president of the bank.
Cambridge Walling Map, 1854
Some cattle were driven over roads from New Hampshire or Vermont in droves of 100 to 200 at a time. In 1903 Charles O. Stickney recalled:
“…as many as 4000 head on the road between Exeter, N. H. and Cambridge. It was no uncommon sight to see from 100 to 200 cattle in a drove, and the road packed with droves half a mile or more. Years ago full one-half of the drovers who went to Brighton and Cambridge were Maine men. New Hampshire also had a large number of drovers…”
Cambridge Tribune March 7, 1903
Most of the cattle transported to Cambridge arrived in railcars over the Fitchburg and Vermont Central Railroads and were off-loaded at what became known as Porter’s Station:
Cambridge’s first railroad station, built by the Fitchburg Railroad in 1844; second story added later. Photo ca. 1865.
In September of 1849, after it had been in business for just five weeks, the Cambridge Chronicle described Porter’s operation, noting in particular the number of cattle cars that pulled up at the station: a total of 168!
Cambridge Chronicle September 20, 1849
Market Prices: Cambridge Chronicle October 4, 1849. “Beeves” was a term used for any cow, steer, or ox raised for its meat.
Two months later, the paper wrote admiringly of a remarkable 3,700 lb. ox for sale:
Cambridge Chronicle December 13, 1849
Some cattle arrived at the Medford station via the Northern, Nashua, and Lowell railroads. Cattle drovers then herded them the two miles to the Cambridge Cattle Market.
Winslow Homer: Cambridge Cattle Market. 1859, wood engraving. Ballou’s Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, edited by Maturin Murray Ballou. p. 8.
The one-year anniversary of the Market was big news. On October 23, 1850, the Boston Evening Transcript reported that there were “no less than three thousand five hundred head of cattle, and eight thousand sheep, while at the dinner table sat six hundred market-men.” The anniversary dinner was free—on the house at Porter’s Hotel. In just one year, the cattle market had grown from eight acres to fourteen and from 50 cattle pens to 188.
Of course, maintaining sanitary conditions and eliminating disease amongst the cattle was crucial. The notice below outlined the rules and regulations the cattle market. (Note that “no Cattle shall be killed after 6 o’clock in the afternoon.”)
Cambridge Chronicle September 12, 1868
“Milt’” refers to the cattle’s spleen.
THE DEMISE OF THE MARKET
Cambridge’s population was growing and with it the need for more housing. Around 1870 the value of real estate in North Cambridge started to increase rapidly. Rising property values and the need for a more streamlined transportation route to the Boston market, not to mention the odiferous and noisy nuisance of the stockyard and its rowdy drovers, pushed the Cambridge market’s move to the newly constructed “Union Cattle Market” in Watertown near the Arsenal. The wood of the sheds and pen railings at Cambridge were sold for firewood and Porter and George Meacham’s land divided into housing lots.
Cambridge Chronicle June 4, 1870
New EnglandFarmer October 29, 1870
The Cambridge City Directory of 1872 still included the cattle market on its fold-out map:
Cambridge City Directory 1872
THE HOTEL
Following Edson, the hotel’s original owner, the hotel changed hands and names several times (Cattle Market Hotel and Cattle Fair Hotel) before Zachariah B. Porter renamed it the Porter House Hotel, or Porter’s Hotel.
Porter’s Hotel, 1831; demolished 1909
Like the Davenport Tavern before it, Porter’s Hotel was remembered fondly by drovers, cattle brokers, and other passers-by. Again, the recollections of Charles O. Stickney:
Cambridge Chronicle October 25, 1902
Zachariah Porter’s well-known hospitality and delicious menu attracted more customers than just cattle men. His dance hall was frequently used for soirees and his large dining hall for celebratory occasions. Harvard students and prosperous Cantabrigians began dining at the hotel. Many of them were coming for a singular specialty.
THE PORTERHOUSE STEAK
It is generally believed that the name “Porterhouse Steak” derived from Porter’s establishment, though occasionally others served up alternative stories. In 1923 a daughter of Amos Pike, who had managed the hotel, and who had herself known the cook, Mary Harvey, gave an interview in which she attempted to end the debate. However, the anonymous author of this article was unconvinced.
Cambridge Chronicle August 25, 1923
THE DEMISE OF THE HOTEL
After Zachariah Porter’s departure, the hotel had several owners: Amos Pike, Francis Locke, Davis Locke, and Edgar I. D. Houck, who took it over in 1894, and his widow, Cora Houck. After the turn of the century, the business began a downhill slide. The combination of license irregularities and the increasing value of the real estate led to its ultimate demise.
Cambridge Chronicle September 15, 1900
Houck’s case went to trial, but he was proven not guilty.
Cambridge Chronicle September 15, 1900
Cambridge Chronicle March 7, 1903 (excerpt)
In 1907, Brooks & Conley moved the hotel to the rear of the property and erected a row of stores directly on North (Massachusetts) Avenue. The hotel finally met its end in 1909.
Cambridge Chronicle September 18, 1909
Today, all that is left of the thriving old cattle market is the Cattle Pass under Walden Street Bridge. Built in 1857 as a pathway for cattle from the freight cars to the stockyards, it was renovated in 2007-2008.
Cattle Pass under Walden Street, 2009
Union Square was renamed Porter Square in 1899. The champions of the market, Zachariah B. Porter and George A. Meacham, are both buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox.
SOURCES Porter Square Neighbor’s Association Cambridge Historical Commission Genealogy Bank Newspapers.com Cambridge Public Library digitized newspaper collection
Welcome to the final installment of our series on supermarkets in Cambridge!
SUPERMARKETS
The 1920’s and 30’s saw a flourishing of these new supermarkets in Cambridge:
Cambridge Chronicle July 20, 1929
Cambridge Chronicle November 11, 1932
Cambridge Chronicle February 17, 1938
Cambridge Chronicle March 3, 1938
Cambridge Chronicle May 12, 1938
And finally, the evolution of supermarkets in one location: 115 Prospect Street.
Cambridge Chronicle June 11, 1942: First National
Cambridge Chronicle November 15, 1979: Bread and Circus
Cambridge Chronicle March 10, 1994: Whole Foods
FUN FACTS ABOUT GROCERY SHOPPING Excerpts from: The Evolution of the Supermarket Industry: From A&P to Walmart by Paul B. Ellickson, March 15, 2015
7 Inventions That Made Grocery Shopping Easier
Shopping Carts The first shopping cart was invented in 1937 by Sylvan Goldman, who was distressed at seeing women who quit shopping when their own wicker baskets got too heavy with groceries. His solution was to design a “folding basket carrier.” These carts didn’t take off right away, despite the convenience they offered. It wasn’t until the rise of the supermarket that more shoppers recognized the benefits of using one.
Supermarkets By 1960, over 70 percent of the nation bought their groceries at supermarkets. But it’s more than just groceries these supermarkets had to offer: Along with food, supermarkets provided a convenient way for shoppers to buy beverages and household products.
Grocery Bags Carrying several heavy brown paper bags that had been in use for decades could be challenging. It became more convenient to carry groceries in plastic bags equipped with handles. These plastic bags made their debut in the United States in 1979 but it wasn’t until 1985 that a large majority of supermarkets offered plastic bags.
Credit Cards Credit cards were invented in 1958, but it took grocery stores a long time to accept this form of payment. Before grocers accepted credit cards, most customers paid by check which caused increased wait times in line. Before 1991, only 800 supermarkets accepted credit cards. After 1992, more than 5,000 supermarkets began to take this convenient form of payment.
Self-Checkout The first-self checkout, called “the service robot,” was invented in 1992. By 2003, supermarkets across the country offered self-checkouts.
Online Shopping Nowadays, people don’t even have to set foot in the store to buy their groceries. They can buy their groceries online from the convenience of their own home and have them delivered. According to the latest statistics, there are about 93 million online grocery purchasers.
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox.
“There are no bad images; that’s just how your face looks at times.” -Henri Cartier-Bresson
Today it’s hard to imagine life without photography in all media, but the arrival of popular photography in the mid-19th century created a remarkable transformation in how we understood the world … something akin the arrival of telephones. Photography increased our vision and hence our perception of the world around us. Without photography, we wouldn’t talk about “snap-shots” (coined by Sir John Herschel in 1860), “photo,” “close-up,” “pin-hole,” flash bulb,” or “shutterbug.”
THE START OF IT ALL
Several inventors made advances towards photography in the 19th century, but Louis Daguerre (1787-1851) clinched it with his invention of the daguerreotype in France in 1829.
Image: Wikipedia
The first daguerreotype operation in Cambridge seems to have been Mr. Clark Moore’s mobile studio. Imagine the astonishment at the Cambridge Chronicle‘s office on Main Street when one December day in 1849 the editor looked out his window and saw this “Daguerreotype Saloon” pass by!
Cambridge Chronicle December 13, 1849
Cambridge Chronicle Building, 1855. Demolished by 1865 – Now 689 Mass Ave. Image: CHC
Mr. Moore went on to establish his permanent studio at the corner of Main and Essex streets.
Cambridge Chronicle September 20, 1851
Fast forward a decade and photography had really seized the public’s attention:
Cambridge Chronicle March 1, 1862
A search of the local newspapers reveals that in the decade 1850-1859 the word “daguerreotype” appeared 91 times. The word “camera” only six times and the word “photographic” nine times. By 1890-1899, “daguerreotype” appeared only 12 times, “camera” 317 times, and “photographic” 696 times.
Articles appeared coaching would-be photographers on how to take the best portrait photograph:
Cambridge Chronicle January 28, 1865
Next appeared witty descriptions of surviving the application of ice tongs during the process:
Cambridge Chronicle July 5, 1873
PHOTOGRAPHY AS ART
This technology opened a new way of creating the sort of dignified portraits that had been traditionally captured by trained portrait painters. In this vein, many photographers referred to themselves as artists.
Cambridge Chronicle September 16, 1899
Cambridge Chronicle February 20, 1869
Cambridge Chronicle September 16, 1899
Cambridge Chronicle March 1, 1884
G.W. PACH’s studio was founded by him and his brothers in New York City. Wildly successful, they subsequently opened branches in Cambridge, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. They advertised heavily in Cambridge. Note the reference to his “Art Studio” in the advertisement:
Cambridge Directory 1880
Cambridge Chronicle October 31, 1896
From Boston Elevated Railway Collection: Workers making borings near Harvard Square. The Pach Bros. building (demolished in 1916) can be seen in the background (August 17, 1906).
In 1880, the Pach Bros. published a pamphlet “devoted to the interests of the photographic art …”, to “the building up of the glorious cause of art, and to convey such information as will lead to a greater interest in artistic efforts.”
Cambridge Chronicle January 3, 1880
COMPETITION FOR THE TRADITIONAL ARTISTS IN PORTRAIT PAINTING
“From today, painting is dead!” (Attributed to French artist Paul Delaroche commenting on daguerreotypes).
Most probably portrait photography substantially ate into traditional painters’ business. “By 1859, Charles Baudelaire was denouncing photography as ‘the mortal enemy of art.’ ‘If photography is allowed to stand in for art in some of its functions,’ Baudelaire fumed, ‘it will soon supplant or corrupt it completely.’” (Baltimore Sun)
Cambridge Tribune October 22, 1898
But it may also have given artists a boost. Now they could advertise their skill at painting portraits from photographs. And, since photography had captured the “realism” market, painters had more freedom to use looser styles, emphasizing qualities of light, and creating more atmospheric portraits.
Cambridge Chronicle July 26, 1884
The fine print: “we are connected with one of the best-known Photographic Establishments in Boston, and parties desiring portraits or Colored Work will be furnished with sitting free of expense.”
AND THEN CAME GEORGE EASTMAN “You press the button – we do the rest.”
Original Kodak camera. Image: Time Magazine
George Eastman launched the Kodak – the first successful roll-film camera – in 1888. “The camera was sold loaded with film, and both had to be sent back to the factory for processing. Over 13,000 cameras were sold in the first year. (http://www.alternativephotography.com/history-photographic-words/)
Cambridge Chronicle June 7, 1890
Other varieties of cameras soon hit the market:
Cambridge Chronicle April 23, 1887: “the detective camera”
Cambridge Chronicle October 3, 1891: “the Hawkeye camera”
Cambridge Chronicle May 22, 1897: “the Falcon camera”
Cambridge Chronicle May 7, 1898: “the Munroe Camera”
Cambridge Chronicle January 13, 1894: “the Photoret Snap Shot and Time exposure camera”
Image: Liveauctioneers.com
Photographic equipment was frequently sold in hardware stores:
Cambridge Chronicle June 12, 1897
Cambridge Tribune August 5, 1893
PHOTOGRAPHY CLUBS
The advent of Eastman’s Kodak camera advanced amateur photography substantially. Cambridge alone had seven different photographic clubs: The Old Cambridge Photographic Club (1892) was founded by Alice C. Allyn. Others included the YMCA Camera Club, Cambridge Camera Club (1888), Lechmere Camera Club (1896), Harvard Cambridge Club, the Tech. Camera Club, and Cambridge Heights Camera Club. Many of these clubs focused on landscape, or nature, photography.
Cambridge Tribune April 7, 1888
Butterfield was known for his landscape photographs:
Cambridge Chronicle September 25, 1886
Many women also took up photography, including Alice M. Longfellow, a daughter of the poet, “whose pictures of nature are a cherished heritage of the whole American people. … Miss Longfellow’s landscape views are noted for delicacy of gradation, poetic feeling and beauty of sentiment.” (Cambridge Chronicle November 16, 1889). Others were Delia Stickney and Cornelia Horsford.
One post can’t do justice to the range of popular, nature, and scientific photography in Cambridge in the late 19th century. Many well-known names and institutions are missing from this account. For instance, George Kendall Warren, who photographed Harvard graduates; Augustus Story, who was the chief photographer on the 1882 scientific expedition to New Zealand to observe the Transit of Venus; and the Harvard Observatory collection.
BUT FOR AMATEURS….
Move over George Eastman…. Here comes Edwin Land!
Image: pixscope.net
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox.
Today we are marking National Eyewear Day, June 6.
Cambridge Chronicle May 20, 1916
Cambridge Chronicle December 28, 1878
It is widely held that Italians invented eyeglasses as early as the 1200’s. What really launched popular demand for eye glasses – spectacles — was the invention of the printing press. More to read – more the need. By the 1700’s someone had invented an “over the ear” eyeglass, which was much easier to use than those pinched on the nose. Then Benjamin Franklin came along and invented the first pair of bifocal lenses, by cutting two different lenses in half and stacking them on the other in a frame. (Source: https://allabouteyes.com/see-past-fascinating-history-eyeglasses/)
A survey of Cambridge newspapers reveals that in the mid-1800’s most advertisements for spectacles and eyeglasses were for businesses in Boston, but one of the earliest in Cambridge was B. W. & J.N. Gibbs, jewelers on Main Street. A “periscopic” lens was good for both near and far sightedness. $1.37 1/2 per pair!
Cambridge Chronicle April 15, 1847.
As shown above, most eyeglasses were sold at jeweler’s stores:
Cambridge Chronicle November 16, 1878
Over time many jewelers became opticians and/or included optical departments in their shops. In 1891, James Marshea advertised as a watch and clock maker also selling spectacles, assuring customers that eyes were examined by a trained lady optician. By 1900, Marshea was offering specialized services: not only were eyes examined professionally, but eyeglasses were fitted with lenses ground on site to individual specifications. And, the shop offered free scientific examinations.
Cambridge Tribune January 2, 1891
Cambridge Chronicle April 14, 1900
Cambridge Chronicle June 30, 1900
Cambridge Chronicle August 31, 1901
But, especially among travelling salesmen, there were many quacks and fakes. Opticians were not regulated until well into the 20th century.
The Optical Journal and Review of Optometry, Volume 27. March 23, 1911
Reflecting back on the bad old days, J. C. Bloom, who began his practice in 1889, wrote that in the days of the travelling salesman in the west, “When a person came in to get a pair of glasses, you would look him over, ask his age, and then reach into one of the boxes that had the mounted goods and you would reach from box to box until the patient said he could see. He would ask what the price was, and it was anywhere from $150 to $5.” (https://www.eyetoeyeoptical.net/AboutUs/eyeglasshistory/index.aspx)
Eventually opticians established their practices independent of jewelry stores:
Cambridge Chronicle June 16, 1888
FASHION IN EYEWEAR
In the beginning there were monocles, worn mostly by wealthy men; lorgnettes, used by the stylish; and pince-nez, all in frames of silver or gold. Then came celluloid eyeglass frames, developed in the 1860’s and 1870’s using a material invented by the English chemist Alexander Parkes in 1858. In 1870 the American inventor John Wesley Hyatt and his brother established Hyatt’s Celluloid Manufacturing Co. in New York where they produced, among many other things, commercially successful eyeglass frames, such as those offered by the jeweler A.J. Applegate in 1882. (https://www.britannica.com/technology/celluloid)
Large round tortoise shell glasses became fashionable around 1914. The time had now come when “the average human disfigurement, often an injury, seldom a person, instead of being ashamed that his eyes are on the blink, actually seems to be proud of it.” (https://www.eyetoeyeoptical.net/AboutUs/eyeglasshistory/index.aspx)
Gold eye glass frames were still popular (look at the price!)
Cambridge Chronicle April 15, 1890
“Kryptok Lenses” were a type of round bifocal, which made the line between near and far lenses less obvious.
Cambridge Chronicle June 17, 1911
Cambridge Chronicle January 25, 1913
Cambridge Chronicle June 8, 1912
* * * *
Finally, this next advertisement is not only about eyeglasses but artificial eyes as well–it just seemed too good to leave out. The business was in Boston, but they advertised in Cambridge newspapers.
Cambridge Chronicle May 11, 1901
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox.
With his acquisition of Fred Row’s Pleasant Street market in 1885, Arthur Smith became a giant in further revolutionizing grocery shopping in Cambridge.
Cambridge Chronicle April 9, 1893
Like Fred Row, Smith was an émigré from England. Born in London in 1861, he emigrated to the U. S. as a boy in 1870, the year before his fellow Englishman, the teenaged Row. Perhaps because of the “English connection,” Smith briefly worked for Row during the late 1870’s. He then went on to work at other grocers, and established himself well enough that in 1886, at the age of 25, he bought Row’s Pleasant Street Market. The gumption of these two emigres to have bought businesses before they were 25 years old is remarkable—and a familiar immigrant story.
Cambridge Chronicle January 8, 1887
Cambridge Chronicle January 29, 1887
Smith seems to have learned a few things about advertising from his previous employer, changing the name to the impressive Mammoth Market. He printed a proclamation supporting Massachusetts Governor designating November 27, 1890 as a Thanksgiving holiday.
Cambridge Chronicle November 22, 1890
In 1891, Smith sold the Mammoth Market and moved to a larger location on Main Street in Central Square. He intended to build a two-story building with a market on the ground floor and offices on the second floor. But plans were delayed and changed, and it wasn’t until 1895 that he opened “Smith’s Manhattan Market” at 602-614 Main Street. Story has it that It was named “the great Manhattan Market on 125th Street [in] Harlem” (Cambridge Chronicle, Jan. 31, 1891). His advertising emphasized modern conveniences such a big “hygenic” refrigerators, a long- distance telephone on the premises and a “neat little room for ladies to sit in…”
Smith’s particular innovation in marketing was to include under one roof individual vendors for the usual grocery goods—meat, fruit & vegetables, canned goods, and baked goods. He also sold kitchen implements, and, believe it or not, music and musical instruments. There was even a piano available for “customers to try out the sheet music” before purchasing. An all-day lunch counter was an added attraction. The position of the individual vendors eventually morphed into departments under the same store management. The “Superb and Elegant” Manhattan Market was a big step toward the idea of what we today call a “Supermarket.”
Historically, the first supermarket as we know it today was the Piggly Wiggly, opened in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916. Customers were able to load items into their baskets (provided by the store) themselves and brought them to a central check-out counter. The Manhattan followed this and all subsequent trends in the management of grocery stores.
Excerpt: Cambridge Tribune August 31, 1895
The fine print:
After a very brilliant and successful reception, which was attended by thousands who spike in the highest terms of the beauty and completeness of its arrangements, has passed through a week of business which far exceeded our fondest hopes. It may be thought that because of its magnificence the prices may be on an equally magnificent scale. The Manhattan will entirely disabuse your mind of any such erroneous idea. The proof of the pudding is in the eating; so also the proof of the price is in the purchase…The Manhattan will give measure for measure and dollar for dollar as much as can be obtained anywhere.
Excerpt: Cambridge Chronicle September 11, 1897
Cambridge Chronicle February 25, 1905
Cambridge Chronicle April 20, 1918
Cambridge Chronicle June 22, 1918
Smith went on to open other stores in the Boston area, as well as a chain of “five and ten-cent” grocery stores. In 1929 the store became a part of Upham’s Corner Market. Smith soon stepped down from active management of the store in and went on to create United Markets, Inc.
Cambridge Chronicle February 1, 1929
Under changes in management and names, a grocery store remained at the site of the old Manhattan Market until at least 1999.
596-600 Mass. Ave. (left), 602-614 Mass. Ave. in 2019 (right) in 2019 (Google Street view)
Stay tuned for the final installment of our series on supermarkets!
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox.
These days we don’t think twice about going to the supermarket and picking up all of our groceries in one place. But back in the 1800’s, before there were supermarkets, grocery shopping required making stops at a variety of small, specialized markets. For instance, you might have visited:
Cyrus Fellows for fish and oysters: Fellows was born in New Hampshire in 1808. As a young man he walked the 50 miles to Gloucester, Massachusetts, for work. He became a stage driver and wound up in the fish business. It is thought he established one of the first fish markets in Cambridge. He died at age 93 in 1902.
Cambridge Chronicle January 4, 1849
Or stopped by William E. Fyfe’s shop for baked goods. The census of 1860 lists him as a “cracker peddler.”
Bakeries: City Directory 1866
Cambridge Chronicle August 11, 1866
Calvin Gove was well known for his meats, as was Andrew A. Ward. In 1860 Ward announced home delivery service, running “a wagon to the houses of individuals carrying meats of all kinds … In 1877 the two became partners and purchased a stall at Faneuil Hall Market.
Cambridge City Directory 1866
Cambridge City Directory 1860
Poultry: Fred Richardson on River Street was well stocked with a variety of edible birds:
Cambridge Chronicle September 15, 1883
Dairy: No need to worry that Munroe & Evans would run out of butter before you could get there. “Firkin” refers to the wooden tub in which the producers shipped their butter.
Cambridge Chronicle April 5, 1849
The word “grocer” comes to us via the medieval Latin “grossarius” and French “grossier,” finally landing in English as “grocer.” When the “Company of Grocers of London” was created in 1376 the term became more widespread. Eventually a grocer meant anyone who sold basic foodstuffs such as flour, sugar, coffee, tea, etc. (https://grocershall.co.uk/the-company/history)
Of the 84 names listed under “Grocer” or “Provisioner” in the 1866 Cambridge City Directory, 18 were on Main street or on a street corner “near” main Street. The Directory also listed 11 bakeries.
Apart from their particular specialization, some of these many stores also did sell other food stuffs. Over time, meat markets increasingly combined with greengrocers, fruit markets, bakeries, fish markets, etc., leading to the ultimate development of the “supermarket.”
Two of the most influential grocer/provisioners in 19th century Cambridge whose markets led the way were Fred J. Row and Arthur H. Smith.
Frederick “Fred” J. Row (1853-1910)
Row was born in Plymouth, England, in 1853. In 1871, at age 18 he emigrated to Boston.
Cambridge Chronicle December 1, 1894
Before appearing in the Cambridge City Directory in 1877 as a “provisioner” at 80 Pleasant Street, he had briefly been a bookkeeper. His obituary states that he “originated” the Pleasant Street Market in 1875–which means he was only 22 or 23 years old at the time.
Row lived across the street from the store. He ran it until 1885, when he sold it to a former employee (Arthur H. Smith, see the forthcoming Part 2 of this post) and moved to larger space on Main Street.
Modern image of 80 Pleasant street, corner of Chalk St. (Google street view)
Row’s particular innovation in the grocery business was his savvy advertising. If there ever was a self-promoter, he was it. He even once referred to himself as a “hustler.” The Cambridge Chronicle noted: “Mr. Row is credited with having an abundance of ‘snap’ and his modern and liberal policy has effected a revolution in the local trade.” (April 19, 1884).
Cambridge Chronicle April 9, 1881
Advertisement in the Cambridge Chronicle November 23, 1878
Customer service was key. The advertisement reads:
“We shall have a bulletin board in front of our store giving the market prices every day, as sometimes prices change, and our customers may rely on getting the benefit of the market. All orders entrusted to our care will receive prompt attention, and will be charged at the market price on the day the goods are bought.”
His advertisements were witty, at times poetic, and at times screaming from the pages. A couple of his first ditties appeared in 1879:
Cambridge Chronical January 4, 1879
Cambridge Chronicle February 2 1879
Row’s advertisements were conversational. They had the effect of acknowledging the customer and speaking directly to them in a way that other advertisers did not. The paper may have printed his name incorrectly in the advert below, but what other market operator would dream up the idea of announcing that “The Country is Safe!” because of himself?
Cambridge Chronicle November 25, 1882
Business boomed at #80 Pleasant Street. In 1885, Row sold the market to Alfred H. Smith, who had worked for him as a boy. (More on Arthur H. Smith in the next post)
Fred established his new market at #423 (subsequently #818) Main Street, and named it the “Middlesex Market.”
Cambridge Chronicle October 24, 1885
After about three years, Row decided it was not only the Middlesex Market, but the “FAMOUS Middlesex Market” as in the ad below from 1888. It also features Arthur Ward, whom Row had brought on board in 1878, and made vice president of the company in 1888. In 1892, Row opened a second store at 11 Prospect Street, and put Ward in charge of managing it.
Cambridge Chronicle October 27, 1888
Ward, along with Row (and Smith), was featured in an article in the Cambridge Chronicle on “Men of Cambridge Markets,” (April 9, 1893):
Cambridge Chronicle April 9, 1893
They remained in business together until 1894 when Arthur departed to start his own business, “Ward’s Market, later Ward’s Central Sq. Market” at the corner of Pearl and Main Street (566 Main Street).
Back to Fred’s advertising: He took advantage of any public events to tie them to his store – the advent of electric cars, electric lights, and a presidential election. Below is a fun selection from over the years:
Cambridge Chronicle December 3, 1887
Cambridge Chronicle February 23, 1889
Cambridge Chronicle October 19, 1889
A “public exhibition” of his stock under the “Absolutely Searching Electric Light”:
Cambridge Chronicle October 19, 1889
Cambridge Chronicle June 21, 1890: “It goes without saying, that a Yankee is, or thinks he is, the smartest, brightest and keenest specimen of the Genus Homo” (that is Latin for Man) …
And here we have a description of the “Looks of Astonishment” that patrons displayed upon first seeing the store as he described the “activity, life and animation” they saw.
Cambridge Chronicle April 12, 1890
Cambridge Chronicle December 27, 1890
Cambridge Chronicle June 11, 1892
Cambridge Chronicle April 16, 1892
Fred Row closed up shop at the Middlesex Market in 1901. He briefly opened the Columbian Market at # 1½ Austin Street. He also managed a store on River street, but after the Columbian Market, he never again actually owned a grocery store. Fred Row succumbed to typhoid in 1910 at the age of 57.
Stay tuned for our next installment to learn more about Arthur Smith and the evolution of supermarkets!
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox.
Portrait of Charles Mason Hovey included in his work The Fruits of America
The Lady Sweet Apple, from The Fruits of America
Before you chomp into that next apple, pause for a moment to consider Charles Mason Hovey, Cambridge resident and world-renowned pomologist. He co-founded the American Pomological Society and wrote The Fruits of America in an effort to “reduce the chaos of names” and document consistency in naming fruits. As he was remembered:
“Horticulture on this continent is probably more indebted to him than to any living man.” “The Gardeners’ Monthly and Horticulturist” (Meehan, 1886)
Charles M. Hovey was born on Brookline Street in Cambridge in 1810, the sixth of seven children born to Phineas Brown Hovey (1770-1852) and Sarah Stone (1769-1846). His father’s family first arrived on American shores in 1635, and six generations later Charles’ father was proprietor of a grocery store at the corner of Main and Brookline Streets and an investor in Cambridgeport properties. Phineas Sr. being one of 16 children, Charles had 15 aunts and uncles on his father’s side alone – – which may explain why there are so many Hovey’s in Cambridge. The City Directory for 1848 (the first one available digitally) lists 15 Hoveys. The family included several grocers (including Charles’ brother Josiah Dana Hovey, see below), real estate agents, fire engineers, architects, a carriage smith, and a bacon curer.
Cambridge City Directory, 1866
An earlier relative, Thomas Hovey, ran the prominent Hovey Tavern in Cambridgeport which was burned down in 1828. The lithograph below, made from a drawing Charles Mason made of the tavern, shows his considerable drafting skills:
Excerpt of print in the collection of the Boston Athenaeum
Significantly, Charles’ father also owned a large garden, running from Massachusetts avenue at Pearl Street through to Franklin Street.
C. M. Hovey’s formal education appears to have ended with his 1824 Graduation from Cambridge Academy at the age of 14. By his mid- teens he was already enthusiastically gardening in his father’s garden. He took after the 18th century taxonomist Linnaeus, with a scientific approach to his interest, keeping meticulous notes and drawings on species and varieties. He did not want for energy: by age 19 he had a strawberry collection; and by age 24 he had created the first American strawberry derived from crossing varieties. Between 1832 and 1835 he had established his nursery in Cambridge, a seed store in Boston, and the first gardening magazine in America.
HOVEY & CO.
In 1832, at the age of 22, Charles and his brother Phineas Brown Hovey, Jr., (age 29) began their nursery with the purchase of one acre of land in Cambridgeport. Eight years later in 1840 they purchased 40 more acres on Cambridge St. Charles lived next door at 381 Broadway between Fayette and what would become Maple Street. The house/cottage that stood at 381 Broadway at the time Charles Hovey lived there no longer exists. The home was torn down in 1893 to make way for a new house constructed for then-owner owner John McFarlane.
1854 Walling Map with arrow towards Hovey’s house on Broadway
The nursery was divvied up into sections with pears and other fruit trees planted along its interior “lanes.” By 1848 the property included four greenhouses, each of which were 84 feet long. The size of his nursery was so staggering it is difficult to comprehend. The Cambridge Chronicle reported “Of pear trees it shows 1000 health and beautiful specimens growing in avenues, embracing about 400 varieties; while of these trees in stocks and ready purchasers, there are about 50,000. Of peaches, there are some 8,000 trees; of apples 200 varieties, and 30,000 trees for sale; of plums nectarines, apricots, cherries, about an equal number. (July 13, 1848).
Hovey specialized in the hybridization of plants, in particular was camellias. He developed a Camellia Japonica and named it for his wife, the “Mrs. Ann Maria Hovey.”
“…the whole neighborhood is scented with their odor, and an array of smaller flowering plants beautifully arranged the greenhouses and outdoors.” (Cambridge Chronicle July 13, 1848)
The Hovey strawberry, “regarded as the foundation of the New England strawberry industry” was grown on large scale until about 1890. It was “the first American strawberry variety that resulted from a planned cross, and it is an ancestor of most modern varieties.” (University of Vermont)
The Hovey’s Seedling Strawberry, from The Fruits of America (1851)
Apparently, one need not go directly to the nursery to place orders. Here is an unlikely sales agent:
Cambridge Chronicle May 6, 1847
Two years after starting the nursery, in 1834 Hovey and his brother Phineas B. (also a horticulturist) opened A “Horticultural Seed Store” at 79 & 81 on Cornhill (previously called Market Street) in Boston. It was conveniently located just below the offices of the Mass. Horticultural Society at #81 Cornhill.
Image: Historic New England
Boston Post March 19, 1834
Eventually the store moved to 53 North Market Street, opposite Faneuil Hall:
Image: Mount Auburn Historical Collections.
Boston Evening Transcript April 6, 1865
THE MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
Hovey was a regular exhibitor at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society from as early as 1831, two years after the society was founded. By 1833 he was an official member. He served on numerous committees, in particular the Committee on the Library, and won countless weekly exhibition prizes. He served as President from 1863-1867. During that time, he oversaw the construction of the new hall for the society, laying the cornerstone and dedicating it in 1865 at 100-102 Tremont Street, at the corner of Bromfield St, opposite the Granary Burying Ground:
Exterior view of Horticultural Hall, corner of Tremont Street and Bromfield Street, ca. 1880. Image: Historic New England.
PUBLICATIONS
America’s first magazine dedicated to horticulture was started by Charles and his brother Phineas Jr. “The American Gardener” appeared on the scene in 1835. Later the name charmingly changed to “The Magazine of Horticulture, Botany, and All Useful Discoveries and Improvements in Rural Affairs.” Hovey remained its editor until 1868 when it ceased publication. (Hutchinson)
Cover of “American Gardener’s Magazine and Register of Useful Discoveries and Improvements in Horticulture and Rural Affairs” (1835)
Perhaps most impressive is Hovey’s two-volume quarto, The Fruits of America, with luscious chromolithographs by William Sharp which he published between 1848-1856.
Title page of The Fruits of America, volume 1 by C.M. Hovey (published 1848-1856)
The Coe’s Golden Drop Plum from The Fruits of America
The Hovey Cherry from The Fruits of America
FAMILY LIFE
In 1835 Hovey married Ann Marie Chaponil. (1814-1871). The couple had five daughters and one son. Only three of their children survived past the age of 33. Tragedy came to Hovey’s door in the 1870’s when in quick succession he lost his wife to consumption in 1871, two daughters in 1872 (one also of consumption) and a third daughter lost to consumption in 1878. Their son followed in his father’s footsteps and became a horticulturist in California.
THE DEMISE OF THE NURSERY
After Hovey’s death, the nursery was taken over by William E. Doyle (1843-1916), Cambridge democratic politician, alderman and prominent florist in Boston. Recognizing the value of the Hovey name, he referred to Hovey in all advertising, but renamed the nursery “Doyle’s Conservatories,” which he operated at #1509 Cambridge Street until around 1914.
Cambridge Chronicle, November 2, 1889
Cambridge Chronicle December 21, 1889
Then, in the 1890’s land on Cambridge Street began to be sold off for residential development. Doyle put through Camellia Avenue on the west of the Hovey estate and Leonard Ave on the east. By 1893 he had built eight houses on Leonard Street, with ten more in the works.
Excerpt from the Cambridge Tribune May 6, 1893.
The street names Hovey, Myrtle, Magnolia and Camellia Avenues mark the neighborhood bounds of the nursery. By 1894 the site for the Holy Ghost Hospital for Incurables had already been laid out.
G. W. Bromley Map, 1894
In 1895, the Holy Ghost Hospital for Incurables was established by the sisters of Charity of Montreal, whose founder was Marguerite d’Youville.
Postcard of Holy Ghost Hospital for Incurables, published by M. C. Lane Co., Boston
The name evolved over the years to the Youville Hospital, Youville Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, and finally, in 2009, the Spaulding Hospital of Cambridge. Click here to read our blog post and learn about the history of the former Holy Ghost Hospital.
Charles Mason Hovey died of heart disease on September 1, 1887
Engraving based on portrait by Alonzo Hartwell of Boston
He is buried in Lot 4205 on Mound Avenue in the Mt. Auburn Cemetery
Cambridge Press September 3, 1887
Hovey had been an Honorary member of the Royal Societies of London and of Edinburgh, and President of the Cambridgeport Horticultural Library Association
Excerpt from the Cambridge Chronicle November 5 1887 upon the death of Jenny Lind, two months after the death of C.M. Hovey
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer, Kathleen Fox.
SOURCES
“A Taste for Horticulture B. June Hutchinson” Arnold Arboretum Ancestry.com Appletons’ Cyclopædia of American Biography Cambridge Public Library Digital Newspapers and Atlases Friends of Mount Auburn. 2012. “Charles Mason Hovey (1810 – 1887).” Mount Auburn Cemetery (blog). January 16, 2012. Grubinger, Vern. n.d. “History of the Strawberry.” Uvm.Edu. Hutchinson, B. June. 1980. “A Taste for Horticulture.” Arnoldia 40 (1): 31–48. Kevles, Daniel J. July/August 2011. “Cultivating Art.” Smithsonian Magazine, July/August 2011. Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and Robert Manning. 1880. History of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 1829-1878. Boston, Mass. Meehan, Thomas. 1886. The Gardeners’ Monthly and Horticulturist. Mount Auburn Cemetery Wikipedia Wilson, James Grant, and John Fiske (eds). 1888. Appletons’ Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton & Co.
Formed on December 6, 1893, the Rindge Club, named for real estate developer and major City benefactor Frederick H. Rindge, first met in the Odd Fellows Hall building in North Cambridge on December 27, 1893. To accommodate the club’s athletic classes and activities, leaders leased a gymnasium building at 9 Beech Street (now the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses) from Samuel F. Woodbridge. At the behest of Mr. Rindge, the group changed its name to the Newtowne Club in June 1895.
Exterior of the Rindge Club House when located at the Samuel Woodbridge gym, 9 Beech Street. Cambridge Chronicle, 20 January 1894
Earlier that year, plans for a new and larger clubhouse were prepared by Boston-based architect J. Chandler Fowler. In June, Mr. Adams, a member of the club’s governing board, purchased land for the purpose of erecting the new building at the corner of Davenport Street and Massachusetts Avenue, about one block southeast of the Woodbridge gym. With a bid of around $30,000, a contract to construct the building was awarded to Wellington Fillmore & Co. and ground was broken towards the end of June.
Drawing of Newtowne Club by architect J. Chandler Fowler, published in the Cambridge Chronicle, 19 January 1895
The club officially opened on January 29, 1896 and nearly 2,000 invitations to the open house were distributed to the community. The new club house was described as “one of the handsomest and most substantial buildings in ward 5.”
Exterior of the Newtowne Club, ca. 1895. Historic New England
Designed in the colonial style, the building was “square and grand, with a wide porch, generous windows and dormers on the roof.” The exterior was painted bright red and finished with white trimmings and green blinds. (Semi-Centennial)
A corner of the library and glimpses of front hall and ladies parlor, drawn by L.F. Grant for the Cambridge Chronicle, 1 February 1896
“The house contains a fine gymnasium, with stage, six of the best bowling alleys in the state, shower baths, billiard and pool room, ladies parlor, lounging room, ample lockers for a 500 [person] membership, and, all the appurtenance to a first class clubhouse.” (Semi-Centennial)
Detail of the corner of Davenport St and Mass Ave from Cambridge Bromley Atlases, 1903 and 1930
Over the years, the parlors, gymnasium, and other facilities were rented by area groups, clubs, and committees for events ranging from charity parties to film screenings. In 1916, the Newtowne Theatre opened as a tenant of the club on the north end of the building, offering matinee picture shows and small concerts.
Clipping from the Cambridge Chronicle, 9 December 1916
Although the Newtowne Club had been prosperous for many years, it soon found difficulty maintaining memberships and meeting the expenses of the building. In 1917, the building was purchased by the Ozanam Council, Knights of Columbus through a foreclosure sale. The K of C also purchased the club’s furnishings and acquired the moving picture accoutrements for the club’s private use. The club was then renamed Newtowne Hall. In 1924, the Mass Ave frontage was sold and a block of stores were built on the clubhouse lawn. The building was subsequently divided and rented to local organizations.
5 Davenport St, ca. 1975. CHC staff photo
In 1960, Stephen and James Zaglakas remodeled Newtowne Hall and opened Stephen James House, an 800-seat function hall and restaurant that was a popular site for social and political functions until it closed in 1991. Several rounds of interior and exterior repairs, alterations, and additions throughout the mid-twentieth century left the building nearly unrecognizable. By the 1970s, the only features from the original 1896 building were the the hip roof and right side dormer. The building was sold and demolished in 1994 to make way for a condominium development.
Sources Cambridge Chronicle, 19 January 1895 The Cambridge Chronicle Semi-Centennial Souvenir, 1 February 1896 CHC survey files “Newtowne Club” by the Cambridge Historical Commission and North Cambridge Neighborhood Stabilization Committee, 2000
Did you know that Paul Revere, in addition to being a silversmith, also made false teeth for several years?! In fact, by recognizing his own handiwork he was able to identify the remains of Dr. Joseph Warren who died at the battle of Bunker Hill.
Today we are celebrating National Dentist’s Day, March 6., and in particular three mid-19th century dentists in Cambridge: Drs. Andrews, Loomis, and Bullock were all innovators and public servants.
In the 1848 Cambridge City Directory, there were 14 doctors listed in the business directory under “Physicians,” but dentists were not yet listed in a separate category. They were listed individually, but it was not until 1860 they warranted their own category in the business directory:
Cambridge City Directory 1860
George P. Backus appears in the newspapers in 1847; Dr. Dillingham in 1857, and James L. Simonds’ arrival on the scene is unknown.
If you cringe at the idea of going to the dentist now, imagine what it would have been like in 1857 to make a visit to Dr. A. W. Dillingham, “Surgical and Mechanical Dentist.” Eeek!
Cambridge Chronicle January 5, 1861
Cambridge Chronicle March 26, 1859
It turns out that “mechanical” dentistry was not quite as medieval as it sounds. In the nineteenth century dentistry was divided into two branches: “operative” and “mechanical.”
Mechanical dentists made prostheses (read false teeth). Operative dentistry, involving removing decay, drilling teeth and making fillings, was considered requiring more medical knowledge, and therefore superior. Mechanical dentists on the other hand were often considered “undignified,” and “unclean,” as reported in the Report of the Committee on Mechanical Dentistry, Trans. Am. Den. Assoc., 1873-4:
“Mechanical dentistry is fast becoming a highway for all the quacks, charlatans and butchers that desire to enter the profession. The maker of artificial teeth will one day occupy the same relation to the dentist that the manufacturer of wooden legs now does to the surgeon.” —Eames, W. H
To counter these “charlatans,” in 1840 professionally trained dentists had formed the American Society of Dental Surgeons. A further step toward professionalism was the development of academic dental schools. The first university-associated dental school was that of Harvard University in 1867.
Dr. Dillingham qualified as a “surgical” (operative) dentist and a mechanical dentist.
* * *
DR. ROBERT ROLLINS ANDREWS
Dillingham’s successor was Dr. Robert Rollins Andrews, a graduate of the Boston Dental College, renowned dental researcher, and inventor, artist, poet, and author.
Image via History of Dental Surgery: Contributions by Various Authors, Vol. 3 (1909)
Cambridge Chronicle October 17, 1868
Cambridge Chronicle February 13,1869
Andrews began his dental training in 1858, when, he apprenticed in the office of his uncle in Boston, Dr. Robert L. Roberts. When the Civil War interrupted his apprenticeship, he enlisted as a private in Company H, 47th Massachusetts Volunteers, and re-enlisted with the 60th Massachusetts Volunteers. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant and served as a staff officer with Generals Butler & Banks between 1862-1864.
After the war he attended the Boston Dental College (later a part of Tufts University) and graduated as a Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1865. His research in dental embryology led to his being appointed Professor of Dental Histology at the same school. After setting up practices in Boston and Hyde Park, in 1868 he took over A. W. Dillingham’s practice in Cambridge. Andrews remained in Cambridge for the rest of his career, with frequent time out to present his research papers in the U. S. and Europe. In 1880 he presented a paper at the International Medical congress in Berlin, which he attended as the Secretary from America. One of his inventions included a “mallet for condensing gold in filling teeth.”
In 1893 the Governor asked him to be a member of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry, and in 1899 he was made a Trustee of the Tufts Dental College. He received several honorary degrees and was elected to dental societies in Great Britain and Belgium. In addition to his dental practice, he was known locally as an exceptional artist, poet, and playwright. In 1870 he married Mary Emily Leseur, and they had five children.
In 1908 Andrews was honored by his colleagues with a banquet at the Somerset Club in Boston:
Cambridge Tribune March 7, 1908
After his death in 1921 Tufts University established the Robert R. Andrews Research Society of Tufts College, recognizing “that the work he accomplished in the profession of dentistry is epoch-making
Cambridge Tribune March 26, 1921
Andrews wrote a testament to the service of Charles Bullock and what he did to promote children’s dental health in Cambridge. (see below) in 1914.
* * *
DR. MAHLON LOOMIS
Photo: Lynchburg Museum, Lynchburg VA
Cambridge Chronicle June 11, 1853
Mahlon Loomis was born in 1826 Fulton Co., N.Y, to Professor Nathan Loomis and Waite Jenks Barber. When he was a teenager his family moved to Virginia, where, in 1848 he studied dentistry and built up a practice. In 1851 he moved to Massachusetts and landed in Cambridge. He practiced here for just a few years, between 1851 and 1856, after which he moved to Washington, D. C.
Cambridge Chronicle August 16, 1851
Cambridge Chronicle April 3, 1852
But while in Cambridge, in 1854, he invented a method for making “mineral plate” dentures out of Kaolin porcelain:
Cambridge Chronicle 9 September 1854
He applied for a patent on his process, which he finally received in 1857( U.S. Patent 10,847)
It was also patented in France and England:
Image: U. S. Patent Office
Cambridge Chronicle September 22, 1855. (Excerpt from the Cleveland Herald in Ohio)
As it turns out, his dental invention was overtaken in fame by his experiments with electricity performed after he moved to Washington. Keenly interested in wireless telegraphy, he wrote in 1864 “I have been for years trying to study out a process by which telegraphic communications may be made across the ocean without any wires, and also from point to point on the earth, dispensing with wires.” In 1866, (years before Marconi was even born), Loomis performed a successful experiment in the Blue Ridge Mountains. His “two kites, between 14 and 18 miles apart, a vertical antenna, a high frequency detector, and a spark gap transmitter” is considered by the Library of Congress as the first known instance of wireless aerial communication (Lynchburg Museum, Lynchburg West Virginia). https://www.lynchburgmuseum.org/blog/2018/12/28/dr-mahlon-loomis-pioneer-of-radio.
While not as internationally known as Drs. Andrews and Loomis, Charles Bullock is included here for what he did to promote dental heath for children in Cambridge. He was born in Providence,
R. I. in 1836, the youngest of twelve children. He studied first with his brother (a dentist in Hartford, Ct.) for two years. He spent another several years practicing in Collinsville, Ct. before moving to Cambridge in 1859.
He bought the building at #569 Main Street and began his practice. Bullock was an innovator, – – “the second person in the state to use gas” for anesthesia. Around 1880 he invented (and patented) an inhaler for a that purpose. He also used cocaine, which was popular in those days.
Cambridge Chronicle October 1, 1870
At some point in the 1870’s he teamed up with Dr. A. J. Sawyer:
Cambridge Chronicle February 15, 1879
In the late 1880s he sold out his portion of the practice to Dr. Sawyer, and continued his practice once again on his own. In the 1890’s he became acquainted with Clarence Hews, a recent graduate of the Baltimore Dental College. Hews worked in Bullocks office for about a year before forming his own practice in Malden. In 1907 he rejoined Bullock to form the Bullock & Hews Dental Co. They brought on an associate, Dr. Jones, and after figuring out a better light fixture to enable them to work in the evenings, they opened their practice until 8:00 P.M.
Cambridge Tribune May 11, 1907
Cambridge Chronicle May 26, 1906
Cambridge Chronicle, 13 October 1906
Charles Bullock served as an Overseer of the Poor for fourteen years. But perhaps his most significant contribution to the health of the citizens of Cambridge was his advocacy for children’s dental health:
Excerpt from interview: Cambridge Tribune May 11, 1907
In his will Bullock left a substantial amount of money, the income of which ($3,000 per year by 1937) was to fund the position of a dentist responsible particularly for educating school children on dental care. This remembrance of his contributions in this regard was written by Dr. Robert R.
Andrews, profiled above:
Cambridge Tribune April 11, 1914
Charles Bullock died on March 14, 1914. He is buried Mt. Auburn on Snowflake Path, Lot #5932
Cambridge Tribune March 21, 1914
FUN FACTS
Dentist’s Chairs. Dentist chair was invented by Josiah Flagg in 1790. Just a Windsor chair with an adjustable headrest attached:
Image: pg. 197 Weinberger’s Introduction to the History of Dentistry in America
The first reclining dental chair was designed in 1832 by James Snell of London:
mage via Oshawa Centre Dental Office
Toothbrushes. First invented in China, and first mass produced in 1780 by English inventor William Addis, the first American to patent a toothbrush was H. N. Wadsworth, in 1857.
Anesthetics. In 1844 Horace Wells discovered the anesthetic qualities of nitrous oxide, and used it for pulling teeth. In 1846, William T. G. Morton (buried at Mt. Auburn Cemetery) “discovered” ether. The two discoveries got confused with one another, and a long controversy ensued over whether Morton discovered ether or discovered the use of it as an anesthetic. In 1864 and 1870 two “major health organizations in the United States—the American Dental Association and the American Medical Association—voted in favour of Horace Wells” (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Toothpaste. Before there was tooth paste there was tooth powder or dentifrice, including “Saponaceous” (soapy) Dentifrice sold at local pharmacies:
Cambridge Chronicle April 28, 1860
In 1873 the Colgate Co. produced toothpaste in small glass jars. In 1881 Dr. Washington Wentworth Sheffield of created “Dr. Sheffield’s Crème Angelique Dentifrice,” the first toothpaste sold in collapsible tubes. (https://stetsonhillsdentist.com/the-history-of-toothpaste/)
Drills. In 1871 James Beall Morrison (1829-1917) invented a high- speed foot-operated treadle drill. This drill could make 2,000 revolutions per minute, vastly speeding up the efficacy of removing decay.
Dental Floss. The first recorded patent for dental floss was issued in 1874 to Asahel M. Shurtleff, a partner in the Boston medical devices company called Codman & Shurtleff. They began selling unwaxed silk dental floss in 1882. (https://oralb.com/en-us/oral-health/dental-floss-history/)
A section of the Codman & Shurtleff exhibit at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition
The first Black dentist. The first black man to receive a D.D.S. degree was Robert Tanner Freeman. Freeman, born to enslaved parents, graduated from Harvard University’s School of Dental Medicine in 1869 with its first class of six students.
This portrait of Dr. Freeman, painted by artist Stephen Coit, hangs in the lobby of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM)
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox.
