2003 Events
Events in 2003
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December 11
Holiday
Party at the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House
In spite of extremelly unfavorable early winter weather,
nearly 100 members and guests enjoyed a buffet prepared by generous caterers,
including: The Basil Tree, Bon Appetit, The Catered Affair, Catering by
Debby, Cuisine Chez Vous, East Meets West, Kayo and Company Catering,
and Riley to the Rescue. Traditional Celtic music was provided by current
and former students of the Cambridge Center for Adult Education; their
performance dedicated to the late Tony Cuffe, their teacher and dear friend.
Local authors presented their books for sale, and Cambridge Historical
Society publications and gift memberships were available.
October 26
A Walking Tour of Modern Architecture
This was the second collaboration between the Cambridge
Historical Society and DOCOMOMO. (Documentation and Conservation of
Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement) Attendees
viewed the interiors of two significant houses, including the former residence
of architect and educator Josep Lluis Sert. The house visits bracketed
a walking tour, viewing the exteriors of Harvard's significant postwar
modern buildings. These included Sert's undergraduate Science Center and
Holyoke Center, the Carpenter Center by Le Corbusier, and the TAC/Walter
Gropius Graduate Center at Harvard Law School. The tour focused on how
Cambridge affected the design of these buildings, and how they in turn
have helped shape the Cambridge of today.
September 28
One Cambridge
Man's War
Former Cambridge resident Richard E. Bennink detailed and
illustrated his personal experiences in the U.S. Navy during World War
II. In 2001, Mr. Bennink gave his naval records to the Historical Society's
archives. (Note: Bennink's grandfather also donated his private papers
on Civil War history to the Cambridge Historical Society.) Resident
Fellow Mark Vassar, prepared an exhibition from the Richard E. Bennink
collection to accompany the talk.
September 6
A Lawn Chair Exploration of Fresh Pond
Kit Rawlins,
Assistant Director, Cambridge Historical Commission, and Jean Rogers,
Chief Ranger, Cambridge Water Department, presesnted a historical tour
of Fresh Pond.
August 4
The Lost Half Mile of the Charles River & the Zakim/Bunker
Hill Bridge
This annual river trip started by cruising upstream to
the Brighton Marshes, and then down, past the Esplanade, passing under
the Green Line viaduct to reach the "New Charles River Basin"
and under the Zakim/Bunker Hill Bridge. Our
guide was Karl Haglund PhD, project manager for the New Charles River
Basin at the Metropolitan District Commission. Dr Haglund is author of
Inventing the Charles River, published by MIT Press.
August 2
Brattle Street Walking Tour
This tour focused on the wide range of architectural styles seen along
Brattle Street. Included was an overview of "Tory Row's" Revolutionary
history, and a tour of the interior of the historic Hooper-Lee-Nichols
House.
July
5
Cambridge Discovery Walks 2003
These walks, sponsored by the Historic Cambridge Collaborative
and local independent tour guides, offered a combination of free
or low cost tours around Cambridge. Topics included historic events, notable
people, the arts and sciences, outstanding architecture and distinctive
neighborhoods.
June
8
The Secret Gardens of Cambridge
The Hooper-Lee-Nichols House and garden was one
of the stops on this tour, the fourth annual Open Gardens Day sponsored
by the Friends of the Cambridge Public Library.
May 18
Exploring Cambridge: Astronomy from Observatory Hill
For this funraising event, Cambridge Historical Society
members and guests attended a lecture on the history of the Observatory
by Own Gingerich, Research Professor of Astronomy and History or Science,
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. This was followed by tours
of the Observatory, including "The Great Refractor," the 15-inch
telescope originally installed at the Observatory in 1847.
May 6
Tour of the
Walter J. Sullivan Water Purification Facility
Stephen Corda, Managing Director Cambridge Water Department
gave an illustrated talke on the histoyr of Cambridge water. Guests toured
the new water facility with Water Department Staff. Artists Mags Harries
and Lajos Héder discussed their work on the permanent sculptural
installation, Dream Water.
April 6
Cambridge History in Cyberspace
Through a "live" web connection, our panel demonstrated
how to make the best use of Web sites they had built to help researchers
find Cambridge historical information, and discussed the issues involved
in historical web site creation.The panel included: Karen Davis (moderator),
Preservation consultant and researcher; Sarah Burks, webmaster and designated
property administrator, Cambridge Historical Commission http://www.ci.cambridge.ma.us/~Historic;
Rev. Dr. Herbert Vetter, founder of the Harvard Square Library online;
Andrew Drane, who works with Rev Vetter, designed the site www.harvardsquarelibrary.org;
and Lewis Bushnell, webmaster for the Cambridge Historical Society, www.cambridgehistory.org
April 2
Dana Fellow Event
The Richard Henry Dana Fellows enjoyed a reception as they
viewed the interior of the fine Federal Period home at 10 Coolidge Hill
Road. Charles M. Sullivan, Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical
Commission, discussed the history of the 1807 house.
March 25
The Historical Society Book Club, with Matthew Pearl, author
of The Dante Club
The author, Cambridge resident Matthew Pearl, attended
our meeting and spoke about the background, historical details and writing
process for his novel, The Dante Club. Pearl is an award-winning
Dante scholar and the editor of the new edition of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's
translation of Dante's Inferno. For more information, visit Matthew Pearl's
web site www.thedanteclub.com
February 2
Annual
Meeting and Resident Fellow Presentation
This event opened with a business meeting which
included the election of officers, committee reports and a preview of
upcoming events This was followed by a presentation by Resident Fellow
Mark Vassar entitled, "Surrender at Fort Sumter: Responses from the
River." Mark discussed the patriotic fervor in Cambridge at the start
of the Civil War. He cited articles from the Cambridge Chronicle and endeavors
by Cambridge residents to support the Union. The accompanying exhibition,
designed by Mark and Resident Fellow Elizabeth Mahoney, showcased documents,
artifacts and photographs held within the Historical Society's collection.