Portrait of Helen Keller in her college graduation cap and gown (Wikimedia)
Helen Keller (1880-1968), was a world renowned author, activist, lecturer, and the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor’s degree. Born in Alabama, Helen later moved to Massachusetts with her teacher and friend Annie Sullivan and attended the Perkins School for the Blind and Cambridge School for Young Ladies in pursuit of her goal of attending college. She successfully passed her exams and was admitted to Radcliffe College, known then as the Harvard Annex, in the fall of 1900.
When she began her studies at Radcliffe, Helen and Annie were living at 14 Coolidge Avenue, now 24 Coolidge Hill Road.
24 Coolidge Hill Road (CHC Collection)
Helen not only immersed herself in her studies, she also participated in social activities. According to an article in the Radcliffe Quarterly, “she played chess and checkers with unusual concentration, and was an enthusiastic wheelwoman often seen on the Cambridge streets on her tandem… when elections for officers were held, Helen was chosen Vice President.”
Helen with her dog, Phiz, a gift from her college classmates (Wikimedia)
In 1904, both Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan moved to 73 Dana Street. The building was designed by the architect Arthur H. Bowditch and constructed in 1898. The 6-unit apartment building was designed to look like a large single-family dwelling.
73 Dana Street (CHC)
Helen graduated cum laude that same year. Her classmates praised her accomplishment by writing in the yearbook:
Beside her task, our efforts pale,
She never knew the word for fail;
Beside her triumphs, ours are naught,
For hers were far more dearly bought.
Helen went on to a remarkable career advocating for people with disabilities, campaigning for women’s suffrage, labor rights, and anti-militarism. She lectured around the world and became acquainted with many leading figures in politics and the arts.
In 1954 at Helen’s 50th college reunion, Radcliffe College dedicated a garden to her and a fountain to Annie Sullivan, located at the Cronkhite Graduate Center on the corner of Brattle and Ash Streets.
Helen Keller at the dedication of the garden and fountain at Radcliffe (Wikimedia)The fountain today (CHC)Sign dedicating the fountain to Anne Sullivan (CHC)
‘IN MEMORY OF
ANNE SULLIVAN
TEACHER EXTRAORDINARY — WHO,
BEGINNING WITH THE WORD WATER
OPENED TO THE GIRL HELEN KELLER
THE WORLD OF SIGHT AND SOUND
THROUGH TOUCH
BELOVED COMPANION THROUGH
RADCLIFFE COLLEGE
1900 — 1904’
Sources:
The Three Lives of Helen Keller, Richard Harrity and Ralph G. Martin, Doubleday & Co., New York, 1962.
Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA
We are happy to announce that we have recently processed and updated finding aids from several collections in our holdings. Scroll down for descriptions and sample images from the following collections: Patsy Baudoin Collection of Cambridge Prints and Photographs, Edwin Freeman Bowker Collection, Honors and Awards Collection, Alan McClennen Senior Collection, Cambridge Militia Records, City of Cambridge Veterans’ Graves Registration Cards Inventory, and William Lawrence Galvin Collection.
Patsy Baudoin Collection of Cambridge Prints and Photographs
This collection, sometimes known as an artificial collection, consists of photographs, drawings, and prints of historical houses and locations in Cambridge. Also included are several page clippings from various books including the Historic Guide to Cambridge, Ever New England, and other area guides to historic houses.
One (1) pencil sketch: Johnston Gate, Harvard Yard by W. Harry Smith (Artist)
Most of the houses depicted in the prints were built pre-Revolutionary War, from 1660-1763, and have a long history of famous residents, including Margaret Fuller, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and John White Webster. Additionally, many of the houses are listed as National Historic Landmarks including the seven houses that make up “Tory Row” on Brattle Street.
Longfellow in his study ca. 1870-1880. Photographer unknown.
Click here to view the finding aid for this collection.
Edwin Freeman Bowker Collection
This collection is composed of five boxes and two flat files containing Edwin F. Bowker’s professional correspondence as a civil engineer and surveyor. Included are surveyor’s notes and records, draft sketches, manual calculations, notes on markers, drawings, plans, transcripts regarding property boundaries from deeds, and correspondence from mid-1886 through 1919.
Documents related to property at Hasting and Monson Streets, 1920
Click here to view the finding aid for this collection.
Honors and Awards Collection
This collection contains certificates honoring the Cambridge Historical Commission and various Cambridge businesses and organizations for their service to the built environment of this community.
Plaque and pencil sketch for the City of Cambridge Ruth L. Barron Award for Outstanding Community Service, 2014.
Click here to view the finding aid for this collection.
Alan McClennen Senior Collection
Included in this collection are maps, development studies, town reports, and traffic studies for the City of Cambridge with the bulk of the materials dating from the 1950s to the 1970s. Alan McClennen served as the Planning Director for the City of Cambridge from 1958 until 1968. Researchers interested in viewing the Alan McClennen Senior Collection will be engaged by topics on community development in the City of Cambridge during the mid-twentieth century. We would like to give a special thanks to volunteer Steve Kaiser, for to his contribution to the spreadsheet and box list for this collection.
Booklet for Alewife Brook Park created by AD Little/Cambridge Corporation, 1968Memo on Railroad Grade Separations by the Cambridge Planning Board, 5 December 1950
Click here to view the finding aid for this collection.
Cambridge Militia Records
This collection contains nine record books detailing militia records for the City of Cambridge for the years 1846-1886. Each book contains lists of names recording those enrolled in the Cambridge Militia. At times these lists are accompanied by marginal notes.
Militia roll: 1877 (“Ward Two Book”)Cambridge Militia Ledger: 1846-1859
Click here to view the finding aid for this collection.
City of Cambridge Veterans’ Graves Registration Cards Inventory
This collection contains veterans’ graves registration cards, filed in alphabetical order, for graves in various cemeteries in Cambridge. A majority of the graves are registered at Mount Auburn Cemetery and Cambridge Cemetery, but also include others, such as the North Cambridge Catholic Cemetery and Belmont Town Cemetery.
Click here to view the finding aid for this collection.
William Lawrence Galvin Collection
The collection contains print and photographic materials of William L. Galvin’s professional records and architectural drawings. This collection consists of correspondence, writing, articles, government records, photographs and drawings that depict Galvin’s professional career. The core of the collection consists of drawings for over 1,000 architectural projects, of which about 530 projects in Cambridge have been cataloged.
Proposed Dormitory – Social and Recreational Center, Lesley College, undated
Over a 50-year career, 1927-1979, Galvin made a significant impact on the landscape of Cambridge through his numerous projects and constant support for progressive land use to fit a modernizing Cambridge community. This collection provides valuable insight into Galvin’s personality and professional work that has left a lasting mark on the landscape of the City of Cambridge.
Drawing of Shea Cleaning Plant and Showroom, undated
Click here to view the finding aid for this collection.
To view the above collections, please make an appointment with our archivist, Emily, at egonzalez@cambridgema.gov. Our research hours are: Monday: 4:00-7:00 pm | Tuesday: 2:00-4:00 pm | Wednesday – Thursday: 10-12 and 2-4 pm.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to process collections and make them available for research!
