The white card above is an example of a property record card from the Dudley & Borland Real Estate and Insurance Company of Cambridge. The company was founded circa 1927 by Robert Parker Dudley (1900-1983) and James Post Borland (1900-1979). Focusing primarily on properties in West Cambridge, their offices were appropriately located at 1374 Mass Ave in Harvard Square.
Portrait of Robert Parker Dudley as published in History of the Class of Nineteen Hundred Twenty-three, Yale College, Volume 1 (p. 112)
Portrait of James P. Borland as printed in The Magazine of Cambridge, January 1946 (p. 28)
Both Dudley and Borland were active in the Cambridge Boy Scouts and various Cambridge organizations. Among other professional activities, Dudley served as a member of the board of the Cambridge Savings Bank and was President of the Society of Real Estate Appraisers. Borland served on the Boston Real Estate Board, Brokers Division, in the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce.
Advertisement for Dudley & Borland real estate and insurance firm in the 1928 Cambridge City Directory
The Cambridge Historical Commission acquired the Dudley & Borland Card Collection in 2021 through the generosity of long-time Cambridge real estate broker Robert (Bob) Crocker, then-owner of the company’s final iteration, Dudley & Borland Ellis & Andrews. Mr. Crocker was a member of the Cambridge Historical Commission and former vice-President of the Cambridge Historical Society, now History Cambridge.
The Dudley Borland Card Collection covers the period from 1927-1979. Each of these white cards contains a record of all the transactions on a single property over a period of years, scribbled in different colored inks. This detailed content on nearly 3,000properties on 366 Cambridge streets is stunning! Details include the names and contact numbers of owners, the number of floors, the number of rooms and their layout, and the number of baths. Also included are financial town assessment and mortgage histories, construction details, land improvements such as shrubbery and general landscaping, and whether a garage was built on the premises. It is interesting to note that proximity to nearby local grade schools was included on the cards, giving us a clue to the company’s target audience and marketing strategy.
Equally stunning are the nearly 900 photographs in the collection. Visual representation is important in historical preservation and research. In some instances, these photographs provide the Commission with its first photographic record of a home. Often, these photographs fill a visual void and allow us to see what a particular building looked like before subsequent additions, alterations, or demolition.
Example of an image from the collection: 101 Washington Ave circa 1955. Before this collection was donated, the CHC had only one historical photograph of this house, taken in 1890.
In addition, there are photos of land that was less developed than we might see today, such as this photograph showing the corner of Reservoir and Highland Streets:
A particular property may often contain a “Comparative Sales Chart” document. This is another source of general information about housing costs in similar neighborhoods at the time:
Comparative Sales Chart form for 7 Riedesel Ave. Dudley Borland Card Collection, Cambridge Historical Commission
Additional color-coded, cards in the collection include typed information in brief on date of sale and owner or seller—perhaps tracking real estate deals made by other brokers on houses that might eventually come under the Dudley Borland purview.
Also present are clippings of obituaries from local newspapers featuring many property owners. The inclusion of these clippings adds to the understanding of Dudley & Borland’s market and the essence of the times.
Some of the homes that Dudley & Borland bought or sold had previously passed through the hands of the Ellis Andrews Company real estate firm operating in the same territory. Founded in 1888 (and going through several name changes), Ellis & Andrews was Cambridge’s oldest real estate company. In 1994, the Cambridge Historical Commission received a collection of Ellis & Andrews’ correspondence covering years primarily between 1893-1936. The collection is memorable for the late 19th and early 20th century social conditions and biases revealed in its correspondents. For more information on this collection, see our blog post from 2017: The Ellis & Andrews Real Estate Collection.
The Cambridge Chronicle March 16, 1889 showing ad for William R. Ellis (1846-1903)
There was an overlap in the years both firms were active, especially in the earlier part of the 20th century:
The Cambridge Tribune August 23, 1930
After the original founders of both companies passed on, each company was bought or associated with other real estate/insurance companies. Around 1995, the companies merged, forming Dudley & Borland Ellis & Andrews. This version of the company also passed through several owners.
The Cambridge Chronicle September 21, 1995
These two collections represent over 100 years of real estate transactions in Cambridge. Not only do they contribute to our understanding of the evolution of specific properties and neighborhoods, but they also fill out an overall sense of the times.
“…this war has ruined my business. Those I owe will have to wait untilI can get the money out of the business” From G. H. Marshall April 9, 1917
November 11, Veteran’s Day, was founded after the end of WWI in 1918 and is one of two days where our nation remembers veterans of war, the other being Memorial Day, observed in May. Like all wars, WWI brought on changes in individual lives and businesses of every conceivable sort. The records of the Ellis & Melledge Real Estate and Insurance Co. reminds us of the tenor of the times – both in correspondence with the firm about housing: rentals and maintenance and selling or buying properties, and from the circulars on savings, reducing consumption, an increase in insurance rates, and hiring returning soldiers sent out from various state and government agencies.
As the quote above illustrates, some of the correspondence brings the consequences of the War in daily life down to a human scale. Here are some more examples:
“My Dear Mr. Ellis,
I have decided to give up my room in Prescott Hall, beginning Sept. 1st. I know that the time is short, but as I have been put on active service sooner than I expected there is nothing else to do…It is with regret that I must give up my room, but since the Army is not likely to take a rest for some time, I have no reason to believe that I shall have use for my apartment any longer…” (August 20, 1917 from James B. Munn, 2nd Lieut. U. S. R.)
Prescott Hall at 472-474 Broadway as photographed by Christopher Hail on August 16, 1987
This next letter refers to Samuel Chew (1871-1919) a Harvard graduate and lawyer in Philadelphia, who, working with Ellis & Melledge, was a large investor in Cambridge property, particularly on Church Street.
“Dear Sir: –
…Mr. Chew is with the American Field Ambulance in Paris, and will not return for several months. In the mean time you may continue the management of his church Street property…” (March 1, 1917)
The letter below was from Cecil K. Drinker, a professor at the Harvard Medical school from 1917-1932, who was living on Hurlburt St. in Cambridge:
“Dear Mr. Ellis:
Duties brought upon me through the war necessitate absence on my part from Cambridge after July first of this year. This has been a sudden development and renders it impossible that I should go forward with rental of the garage as we had planned…” (May 16, 1917)
6-8 Hurlburt St as photographed by Christopher Hail on January 13, 1985
Navy Commander W. L. Littlefield wrote Ellis & Melledge in 1917:
“Dear Sir:…Officers in attendance at the [Naval]War College here, are being ordered to sea daily and my turn will come any day now so you can readily understand that I am anxious to get this matter straightened out before I go to sea.” (March 17, 1917)
Commander Littlefield’s home was at #10 Mellen St.
10 Mellen St via Google Street View (November 2020)
Five months later, in August, Littlefield writes: “…due to the war conditions I would appreciate as prompt a reply as practicable, as I do not know where I will be tomorrow….”
INSURANCE
Costs went up for everything, including insurance. This letter from the New England Insurance Exchange (November 17, 1917) announces a 10% rise in rates:
TO ALL AGENTS
We are handing you, herewith, promulgation of a general advance in rates of 10%, effective on November 19, and which you have, no doubt, been long expecting….the insurance business is no different from any other, and conditions which demand a general increase in prices, affecting all lines of business, because of the increased cost of doing business, and the increased expense in the way of taxes to maintain the defense of our Country, produce the same results with the business of insurance.
Three weeks after the U. S. entered the war (April 26, 1917) insurance companies responded with ominous warnings about threats you could face in your own home. For instance, bombardment, as seen in this letter from Gilmour, Rothery Co.:
“Dear Sir:
YOUR CLIENTS ARE NOT INSURED If their property is destroyed or damaged by fire, originating from foreign enemies, military power, civil commotion, riots, etc. BECAUSE …Fire insurance policies do not cover damage by explosions or bombardment. There is far more reason to secure protection from these dangers now than here is to insure against fire in times of peace…” (April 26, 1917)
Or this newspaper advertisement:
Cambridge Chronicle March 17, 1917
Other businesses also took advantage of war time fears. The advert below implies that enemy troops may even be at your own gate!
Cambridge Chronicle March 17, 1917
SHORTAGES & SAVINGS
Shortages affected everything, but fuel was uppermost of mind. National and local government agencies sent flyers to businessmen about how to aid in preventing fuel shortages, as seen in this excerpt from the New England Fuel Administration flyer. (Reducing elevator service would not automatically come to mind these days):
“To Tenants of Apartment Houses November 19, 1917
“A serious shortage of coal threatens New England and it is important that every possible pound of coal should be saved. If each New England consumer will reduce his consumption twenty per cent, the total saving will be over nine million tons and we will get through the winter without serious factory shutdowns and without suffering…We offer the following suggestions:
Do not ask to have suites heated higher than you actually need; suggests 65 to 70 degrees
Do not waste hot water
Prompt attention to turning off burners of gas ranges will save considerable accost
Reduce elevator service where practicable
Shut off heat in all unoccupied rooms where there is no danger of freezing pipes
Pull down window shades at dusk. A drawn shade keeps in the heat nearly as well as a double window
Bank your fires as early as is expedient“
Of course, the newspapers all did their patriotic duty to encourage fuel reduction as well. These two articles were printed in the Cambridge Chronicle on the same date: January 12, 1918
FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE WAR
This advertisement is a grim encouragement, reminding people to buy Liberty Bonds. Liberty Bonds were a way of individuals “loaning” to the government to pay for the war. The loan would be repaid with interest after a designated number of years. These bonds became a symbol of fulfilling one’s patriotic duty.
Cambridge Chronicle April 13, 1918
The excerpt below is from a flyer sent out by the Treasury Dept., National War Savings Committee to enlist businessmen in helping raise money for the war effort through Thrift Stamps:
TO THE BUSINESS MEN OF MASSACHUSETTS
The importance of a general distribution among wage-earners and others of United States Government Thrift Cards and Thrift Stamps cannot be overestimated. With these cards and stamps widely distributed throughout the State a great savings movement will have begun.
I AM ACCORDINGLY REQUESTING YOU AND EACH AND EVERY OTHER EMPLOYER WHO CAN POSSIBLE DO SO TO GIVE A THRIFT CARD WITH A THRIFT STAMP AFFIXED (cost 25 cents) TO EACH EMPLOYEE.
…the Thrift Stamp bears no interest and is intended to be bought stamp by stamp by people who save in small amounts. When sixteen of these stamps are accumulated, amounting to four dollars face value, they may be exchanged for a War Savings Stamp by adding the necessary few cents to meet the price of the War Savings Stamp at that time. The War Savings Stamps are promises of the United States of America to pay five dollars June 1, 1923. …It will help bring to everyone’s attention the necessity of economizing in the expenditure of money, materials, and unnecessary labor so as to help keep up supplies for the Army and Navy.” (From Robert F. Herrick, State Director of the National War Savings Committee December 18, 1917)
Cambridge Tribune October 26, 1918
Of course, small- time businessmen also did their part:
Cambridge Sentinel June 30, 1917
AFTER THE WAR
After the war life, citizens had to adjust back to what used to be considered “normal.” But with demobilization, new issues arose:
“Dear Mr. Ellis:
The Fortunes of War or of Peace are bringing us back to Cambridge from Washington and we find ourselves in the peculiar position of hunting for a place to live with our own house rented.Are there any possibilities of small furnished apartments? Now that the soldiers and sailors are demobilizing I should think there would be attendant vacating of apartments.” (From Rachel Perry [Mrs. Ralph Barton] Perry November 27, 1918) [138 Irving St.]
138 Irving St with Francis Ave in foreground, no date. Photograph gift of William B. King
The housing situation was a jumble, but, perhaps more importantly, so was the employment situation. A circular from the U. S. Department of Labor on February 5, 1919 warned:
“War contracts are nearly all completed, necessitating the closing of a considerable number of shops. In many cases the people employed on these war contracts must find employment in entirely different directions. Discharged soldiers in continually increasing numbers are seeking replacement in industry.”
In Cambridge, a local Bureau for Returning Soldiers and Sailors was organized under the chairman Walter F. Earle, president of the Harvard Trust Co. And on January 25, 1919 the Harvard Square Business Men’s Association sent this to its membership:
“Dear Sir:
Your attention is earnestly called to the efforts now being made to provide work for the returning soldiers and sailors. These men have been representing you on the battle-fields of France and they have just returned after winning the greatest and most righteous war of all time. Now they desire employment – – not charity, but an opportunity to reenter [sic] business life and once more fill their places as good citizens. Can you help to provide employment for these men?”
* * * *
Cambridge Tribune November 16, 1918
Cambridge Tribune November 16, 1918
End note: Because Ellis & Melledge dealt mostly with properties in Mid and West Cambridge, the correspondence does not reflect the all the concerns of those living in Cambridge, particularly east of Central Square.
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox
“My previous experience in Cambridge is that it is somewhat like Egypt, in the way that it is subject to various pests, particularly rats. These rats of course, cause a great deal of damage in the house, and the only way to get rid of them is to hire a rat exterminator; if this becomes necessary, through no fault of our own, I expect to deduct the cost of this sort of thing from the rent…”
That was written in 1919, in reference to #225 Brattle St. This account gives a slightly humorous sense of the many demands and expectations of those looking for housing in Cambridge.
Exterior of 225 Brattle St as it appeared in The American Architect, vol. 105, no. 2006 (June 3, 1914)
This post will serve as an introduction to a new series on the many aspects of late 19th and early 20th century Cambridge life revealed in the correspondence of William R. Ellis (1846-1903), real estate broker—expectations being one of them. Ellis founded his real estate firm in 1888. He dealt in sales, rentals, mortgages, and insurance. As you see below, he was also a Justice of the Peace.
Cambridge Chronicle March 16, 1889
Dealing primarily with properties in “Old Cambridge” west of Central Square, Ellis’s offices were always in the Harvard Square area: 910 Main Street, (the building that now houses the Hong Kong Restaurant at 1236 Mass. Ave), 440 Harvard Street, and, by 1893, the “Lyceum Building” (demolished in 1924, now the location of the Harvard Coop.) He also kept an office in Boston.
By 1890, Ellis had added “Auctioneer and Notary Public” to his resume. Note that he also maintained a registry of “Student’s Rooms and Boarding Places”:
Cambridge Chronicle January 11, 1890
In 1893, fellow realtor Robert J. Melledge (1855-1917) joined the firm, now called “Ellis & Melledge.” The firm dropped “Mortgages” from their advertising to focus on real estate and Insurance.
Cambridge Chronicle September 23, 1893
Above: Exterior of Lyceum Hall in Harvard Square (March 22, 1907). Boston Elevated Railway Collection. Below: detail of Robert J. Melledge and Benjamin P. Ellis advertisements in upper windows.
After the deaths of principals Ellis and Melledge, the firm went through several name changes as its management was taken over by the sons of both men in conjunction with other partners. But the name “Ellis” was always part of the company’s name. Under each of these iterations, the firm was active in Cambridge for over 100 years. In 1994, the Cambridge Historical Commission received a collection of the firm’s business correspondence covering the years primarily between 1893-1936. The collection provides extraordinary insight into the development of Cambridge, and the changing social, cultural, and economic forces at work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Here’s a portion of another letter from a prospective renter (June 8, 1907):
“Allow me to ask if you have a small house for Sale at a Bargain cheaply on a hilleven if it is outaways. I own a large library of about 2000 books & I must move them this Summer. …I wish to rent a small place that I buy & put all my Books in the attic, or one small Room…. I can pay down $250.00 or so & may be $490.00 to $500.00 & the Balance in payments. I own a farm in Oklahoma & whenever my share of Rent falls due I can pay that on my house – if I can get something for $1000 or $1200 – I don’t want anything where negroes live…I prefer Cambridge on account of Harvard University…”
Apart from the eccentricity of the request, this letter also reveals one aspect of the prejudices all too common during this era. Intolerances abounded against othered groups such as Jews, Italians, Catholics, and large families. We’ll revisit such biases in a later post.
Other topics revealed in the correspondence include: expectations for renting houses fully furnished, often counting china, linens and a stable; owners stipulations about to whom they will rent; rental unit complaints (“the tank in the Water Closet has bursted and we are without water…”); the effects of WWI on housing and the post war recession; housing arrangements for Harvard students (boarding houses, tea rooms); health concerns (renting a unit after an occupant suffered from scarlet fever); and the cost of insuring pigeons or Cadillacs. The list goes on!
Let’s close this edition of Real Estate Revelations with a reassuring excerpt from a letter written in 1910 by Harvard physics professor Harry W. Morse. Professor Morse worked at the Jefferson Physical Laboratory, and planned to rent property at #42 Church Street, where he expected to do work in “…experimental electro-chemistry. There will be no work on a large scale and no explosives will be used nor will our stock of chemicals be any more dangerous than that of a drug store…” Whew! Quelle relief.
30-42 Church Street (demolished ca. 1927) was originally built as a stable and was later used as a gymnasium. Photo: detail of 1921 Harvard Square aerial with 32-40 Church St circled. U.S. Army Air Service photo, Harvard University Archives.
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox
October might be almost over, but it’s still American Archives Month — and in celebration of all things archive-y, we will be highlighting some of our fabulous archives volunteers. This week we would like you to meet Kathleen Fox.
Kathleen organizing correspondence from the Ellis and Andrews Real Estate Collection
Kathleen began volunteering at the Historical Commission in October 2017, and says she is “driven by curiosity.” We asked Kathleen a few questions to learn more about her volunteer work, and her life outside of the Historical Commission.
What collections have you worked on at the Commission? Tell us about them.
I began with processing a very large collection of maps and plans in the E.F. Bowker Collection, creating a spreadsheet listing each map or plan, the streets it pertained to, the owner, the surveyor, the date, etc. Bowker was a mainstream and very successful civil engineer/surveyor in Cambridge. This was interesting work because of the light it shed on real estate development in the city, and because it was the first collection I had processed.
Plan of St. Mary’s Parochial School, E.F. Bowker Collection
Bow and Arrow Streets, E.F. Bowker Collection
What is your academic and career background?
I received my B.F.A. in 1967, and went to work as a secretary in the Mabel Brady Garvan Collection of American Art at the Yale University Art Gallery. After two years in New Haven I moved to Boston where I worked briefly for an architecture firm, and then as an administrative assistant in the Department of Humanities at MIT. Following that, after two years at a private research commission I spent the remainder of my working life at the Harvard School of Government (1980-2009), ending up as Assistant Dean for Teaching Support.
At the same time as I was working in academe I was a practicing artist, and taught watercolor painting at Brookline Adult Education. In about 1970 I was co-founder of an art studio in Boston next to Symphony Hall – – the Kaji Aso Studio. The studio gave classes in watercolor and oil painting, calligraphy and ceramics. It also had a poetry program and a music program. The Studio continues to this day. I drifted away in the mid-80’s , but continued my work as an artist while I worked in academe to support myself.
Somewhere along the line in the late 1990s I drifted once again – this time away from making art as I got more and more interested in history.
Do you volunteer anywhere else?
I volunteer in the Historical Collections at the Mount Auburn Cemetery and also at the Massachusetts Historical Society. I do whatever needs doing – – mostly background research and elementary preservation work.
What do you like to do in your free time?
After researching the history of my own 1893 house I got interested in researching the history of equally old houses on my block in Arlington. This haphazardly expanded – – and now people commission me to research the history of their homes. I am now working on my 29th history . Most have been in Arlington, but I have done two in Cambridge and a couple in surrounding suburbs. In the spring and summer I am also in the garden as much as possible.
What is the best (or your favorite) thing you’ve found in an archive?
At the CHC right now I am processing the papers from the real estate firm of Ellis and Andrews [old finding aid here; new one in progress]. The collection spans the period from c. 1893 to c. 1935. These real estate transactions provide a very interesting and enlightening view of the cultural and financial values of the time, not to mention the growth of the city of Cambridge in the late 19th and early 20th century . This and the Bowker collection together have completely changed the way I view the cityscape as I walk around Cambridge.
Correspondence to Mr. Melledge, Ellis and Andrews Collection
At the Massachusetts Historical Society there have been many memorable moments – – finding a flyer for a slave auction, listing the slaves by name; holding a book printed in 1504 (the oldest thing I have ever held); and a letter from a local Massachusetts businessman to President James Garfield offering to send him the water bed he had developed for good health – – in 1881!! At Mount Auburn there have been more interesting finds than I could possibly list.
Thank you, Kathleen!
Stayed tuned for another installment of our Focus On: CHC Volunteers series.
For the past several weeks, our Spring 2017 Simmons archives intern, Chun Yu Tsui, has been working on re-processing the Ellis & Andrews real estate collection. This collection was donated to the CHC in 1994 by Helen Moulton, owner and president of the Ellis & Andrews real estate firm from 1979-1994.
As part of the re-processing project, Chun Yu has reorganized the first two boxes from the collection; mainly, changing a box of real estate correspondence from chronological order to alphabetical order. Since so many of the letters received by Ellis & Melledge (the original company name) mentioned specific streets and addresses for sale, we thought reorganizing the correspondence alphabetically would be much easier for researchers.
In addition to finding out about the history of the oldest real estate firm in Cambridge, researchers might now be interested in finding information on the history of their home or building lots. The reorganization of the real estate correspondence will now allow researchers to search for their street or address by name.
Below, read about the collection and Chun Yu’s experience reprocessing a huge box of correspondence from 1893-1896.
Background on Ellis & Andrews*
Established in 1888, the firm of Ellis & Andrews was Cambridge’s oldest real estate company. First located at 910 Main Street (now Massachusetts Ave.) in Quincy Square, it was founded by William Rogers Ellis as the Ellis Real Estate & Insurance Company. In 1893, Cambridge native Robert Melledge joined the firm, which was renamed Ellis & Melledge, it moved to the Lyceum Building (now the Harvard Cooperative Society). In 1903 William Ellis died and Melledge extended partnership to Ellis’s son, Benjamin Pierce Ellis. Two years later Benjamin left the company to work independently, and in 1913 Melledge moved his firm to its present location in the Brattle Building at 4 Brattle Street, Cambridge. In 1917 Robert Melledge died and Benjamin Ellis returned to succeed his father. In 1920 he joined Cambridge real estate veteran Edward A. Andrews in business and the firm became Ellis & Andrews. Seven years later Edward Bowditch joined the company as an agent; by 1928 he was a co-owner. Edward Andrews died in 1936, and the firm was subsequently renamed Ellis & Bowditch. His son, Dwight Andrews, continued to work as an agent until he was called to duty in World War II. After the war, Dwight Andrews returned and the firm was again called Ellis & Andrews. In 1955, Andrews became sole owner; in 1961 John Norris joined as a partner; and in 1979 Helen Moulton bought the agency and became the president. The agency lost its independent status when it merged with another firm in 1994.
This is an example of correspondence to Ellis & Melledge from a Cambridge resident, Mrs. Charles Goodhue. In the letter, Mrs. Goodhue writes, “I want a house with 8 or 9 sleeping rooms – including servant’s room.”
The Collection*
The Ellis & Andrews Collection contains both business and personal correspondence from c. 1889 to 1986, with the bulk of the material from 1890-1935. These materials are organized in several individual archival boxes, which are then stored in five larger boxes. The collection contains various forms of printed material, including correspondence (business and personal); interviews from local newspapers; real estate advertisements; sales ledgers; a daybook (business transactions); postcards; invoices; and notes on a history of the Ellis-Andrews Insurance Agency.
The files of a personal nature contain correspondence between Edward and Elizabeth Andrews, and information on the estate of Edward Andrews. Biographical information (including obituaries) can be found on William Rogers Ellis, Benjiman P. Ellis, Robert J. Melledge, and Edward A. Andrews. There are also two files on Dwight Andrews which contain a variety of materials, but most of the information is from the 1980s.
This is an example of correspondence to Ellis & Melledge from a Cambridge resident. The resident writes, “I wouldn’t advise being too stiff on prices for rooms. Don’t refuse a reasonable offer from good man.”
This example of correspondence to Ellis & Melledge from W.A. Mason & Son shows the scenario of three surveyors measuring distances for engineering work, indicating how the city of Cambridge was developed in the late 19th century.
Reorganizing the Collection
The “Scope and Content” note in the original finding aid created by Matthew Hall in April 1995, and reformatted by Megan Schwenke in April 2012, only describes one of the small document boxes located in one of the collection’s five huge white storage boxes. Therefore, apart from double-checking the box that was already processed, five weeks ago I as an intern started sorting through another box of documentation and correspondence from the collection, marked “1893-1896”. Those materials were originally sorted by year, but this form of arrangement might not be very helpful for researchers to find the desired documentation, especially for this box containing materials only within such a short period. With the guidance given by my supervisor, I decided to alphabetize the correspondence by address in order to foster easy searching, and then to rearrange the series and update the finding aid accordingly. Unfortunately, I could not finish processing everything in that box before the end of my internship, since that box contains too much documentation, many of it written in illegible or complex handwriting. Yet, this valuable experience really opens my eyes to approaching archival materials in the late 19th century.
This business postcard shows notes from W.A. Mason & Son, located in Central Square, Cambridge, a civil engineering and surveying company which Ellis & Melledge partnered with in the late 19th-century.
Click the following text to open the Ellis & Andrews Collection finding aid. Please note: this collection is currently being reprocessed, and the finding aid linked here may not be the most recent version. The collection is still open for research, however, so please contact the Archivist for more information.
*The background and collection notes are taken from the collection finding aid.
