A vintage menu from Frank’s Steakhouse; a Little League baseball jersey; a bingo card from $1 game nights at Notre Dame de Pitie; a cow vertebra found buried in a garden – a remnant from the tannery that used to occupy that land. These are all items that help tell the story of North Cambridge, and an upcoming community exhibition at History Cambridge’s North Cambridge Neighborhood History Center will showcase these and other objects to create a mosaic of the area’s rich past.
Most often it is written records such as letters, diaries, newspapers and legal documents that are preserved and used to craft an image of life in the past. But these written sources are only one window into the lives of our predecessors, and they tend to preserve the stories of certain groups while leaving others out. Many people’s histories are not reflected in the written record – those who couldn’t read or write, those who didn’t have time or resources to keep a diary or write volumes of correspondence, and those whose stories were simply not considered important enough to be recorded. In light of the many people and communities left out of written history, objects can tell us much that we cannot glean from written records.
Material culture – the “stuff” of everyday life – connects us to history in an immediate and tangible way. When we hold a favorite childhood toy, we remember the sights, sounds and feelings of our youth. When we smell the old leather of a baseball glove, we reminisce about our time playing ball on a Little League team, or a pickup game in the park with kids in the neighborhood. When we flip through the program from a memorial Mass held for a local politician, perhaps we remember the outpouring of grief and celebration for a life of public service. Objects hold memory in a different way, and they can both connect us to our own past and put us in the shoes of others, experiencing their history as well as our own.
History Cambridge invites the public to bring their items representing North Cambridge history to our pop-up space at 2322 Massachusett Ave. from noon to 2 p.m. May 10 and 9 to 11 a.m. May 11 or by appointment. Our exhibition will take place May 16-19 at the Neighborhood History Center. All are welcome, as contributors or as visitors. This is truly a collaborative effort, and what we learn from each other about the stories that make this neighborhood unique will depend on the contributions of the community. All objects will be kept safe while in our care, and will be returned to contributors when the exhibition is complete.
For information about the exhibition, visit our website. We look forward to seeing what we will create together!
About History Cambridge
History Cambridge started in 1905 as the Cambridge Historical Society. Today we have a new name and a new mission. We engage with our city to explore how the past influences the present to shape a better future. We recognize that every person in our city knows something about Cambridge’s history, and their knowledge matters. We listen to our community and we live by the ideal that history belongs to everyone. Throughout 2023, we are focusing on the history of Cambridgeport. Make history with us at historycambridge.org.
History Cambridge is a nonprofit organization. Our activities rely on your financial support. If you value articles like this one, give today.
Beth Folsom is programs manager for History Cambridge.
The background of images in this post were expanded in size via a digital retouching process using generative “artificial intelligence.” The subjects of the photo were not changed.
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