Historic Markers

Blue oval historic marker for Cambridge City Hall

There are at least six types of historic markers installed throughout the city.   Marker locations are included in the tables below.  You can browse the entire list or click on one of the following six bookmarks to go directly to the list for that type of marker.

Blue Oval Historic Markers
Starting in 1976, the Cambridge Historical Commission started its marker program (blue oval markers). Nearly one hundred of these blue oval markers are scattered throughout the city, marking sites of historical importance. The sites were chosen, not for the architectural significance of the existing structures, but for the sites' relationship to important events or persons. View full text of blue oval markers here.
Note: The presence of a blue oval historic marker does not mean that the structure on the site is a designated property with regulatory protection from inappropriate change.

African-American Heritage Trail
The first of twenty African-American Heritage Trail markers was installed in 1993, the result of a collaborative project between the African American History Committee, the Cambridge Historical Commission, and Cambridge Discovery.

North Cambridge Historic Markers
The newest group of markers, the North Cambridge Historic Markers, were installed in 2003-04.

Granite Tombstone Markers
The oldest group of historic markers were installed in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and are made of granite in the shape of a tombstone.

Cast-Iron Markers
Cast-iron markers were installed in several Cambridge locations by the Massachusetts Tercentennial Committee in 1930. See statewide listing of the Tercentennial markers.

Cambridge History Stations
In 1976, the Historical Commission began erecting history stations, groups of markers that provide more depth about a historical subject.

 

Blue Oval Historic Markers

Marker Location Marker Title Neighborhood
99 Third St Oldest Church in East Cambridge East Cambridge
73 Thorndike St Frederick Hastings Rindge East Cambridge
155 Gore St J. P. Squire Company East Cambridge
96 Thorndike St James D. Green House East Cambridge
25 Third St Lechmere Point Corporation Houses East Cambridge
221 O'Brien Hwy
(marker not currently installed)		 Meigs' Experimental Railway East Cambridge
90 Third St Middlesex County Courthouse East Cambridge
165 O'Brien Hwy New England Glass Company East Cambridge
83 Third St Quality Row East Cambridge
208 Cambridge St Registry of Deeds East Cambridge
277 Cambridge St Saint John's Literary Institute East Cambridge
67 Spring St Thomas Graves House East Cambridge
750 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge Athenaeum Cambridgeport
795 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge City Hall Cambridgeport
708 Main St Davenport Car Manufactory Cambridgeport
636 Massachusetts Ave
(marker not currently installed)		 First Cambridge Newspaper Cambridgeport
889 Memorial Dr Fort #1 Cambridgeport
254 Western Ave Harry Ellis Dickson Cambridgeport
22 Putnam Ave Hiram Sands House Cambridgeport
585-587 Putnam Ave Howard Industrial School Cambridgeport
109 Hampshire St James B. Barnes House Cambridgeport
410 Massachusetts Ave Kennedy Steam Bakery Cambridgeport
71 Cherry St Margaret Fuller House Cambridgeport
162 Broadway Mason & Hamlin Company Cambridgeport
101 Pearl St Soap Workers Cottages Cambridgeport
21 Magazine St Washington Allston's Studio Cambridgeport
172-174 Auburn St Washington Allston Cambridgeport
283-285 Broadway William Lloyd Garrison Cambridgeport
888 Memorial Dr
888 Memorial Drive
Cambridgeport
449 Broadway Cambridge Public Library Mid-Cambridge
2 Hancock Pl Opposition House Mid-Cambridge
393 Broadway Revolutionary Earthworks Mid-Cambridge
7 Dana St Sarah Colburn House Mid-Cambridge
181-183 Sherman St Abraham Watson house North Cambridge
151 Rindge Ave Barry's Corner North Cambridge
1991 Massachusetts Ave Davenport Tavern North Cambridge
2067-2089 Massachusetts Ave Henderson Carriage Repository North Cambridge
146 Rindge Ave Kidder-Sargent House North Cambridge
1976 Massachusetts Ave
(marker not currently installed)		 Porter's Cattle Market Hotel North Cambridge
17 Brown St Aaron Hill House Old Cambridge
165 Brattle St Bartlett House Old Cambridge
9-15 J. F. Kennedy St Blue Anchor Tavern Old Cambridge
42 Brattle St Brattle House Old Cambridge
70 Dunster St Captain John Bonner Old Cambridge
21 Linnaean St Cooper-Frost-Austin House Old Cambridge
54 Brattle St Dexter Pratt House Old Cambridge
104 Irving St e.e. cummings Old Cambridge
33 Elmwood Ave Elmwood Old Cambridge
11 Garden St First Church, Congregational Old Cambridge
104 Mount Auburn St First Middlesex County Jail Old Cambridge
88 Garden St Harvard Botanic Gardens House Old Cambridge
167 Brattle St Henry Van Brunt Old Cambridge
94 Brattle St Henry Vassal House Old Cambridge
159 Brattle St Hooper-Lee-Nichols House Old Cambridge
12 Hawthorne St Isaac Greenwood Old Cambridge
20 Quincy St James Family Old Cambridge
24-26 Dunster St Judge Samuel Danforth Old Cambridge
74 Sparks St Justin Winsor Old Cambridge
6 Appleton St Lois Lilley House Old Cambridge
36 Quincy St Louis and Elizabeth Agassiz Old Cambridge
Dunster St, near South St Manning's Wharf Old Cambridge
Winthrop Square Park Marketplace Old Cambridge
10 Arrow St Melusina Fay Peirce Old Cambridge
8 Willard St Munroe House Old Cambridge
99 Brattle St Oliver Hastings House Old Cambridge
93 Mount Auburn St Professor John Winthrop Old Cambridge
35 Brewster St Robert Frost Old Cambridge
175 Brattle St Ruggles-Fayerweather House Old Cambridge
1380 Massachusetts Ave Simon & Anne Bradstreet Old Cambridge
17 South St Stedman House Old Cambridge
90 Brattle St Stoughton House Old Cambridge
16 Ash St T.S. Eliot Old Cambridge
29 Buckingham St Thomas Wentworth Higginson Old Cambridge
21 Kirkland St Treadwell-Sparks House Old Cambridge
7 Waterhouse St Waterhouse House Old Cambridge
145 Brattle St William Brewster Old Cambridge
37 Concord Ave William Dean Howells Old Cambridge
174 Brattle St William Eustis Russsell Old Cambridge
95 Irving St William James Old Cambridge
8 Garden St Winslow Homer Old Cambridge
121 Brattle St Worcester House Old Cambridge
219 Brattle St Wyeth-Eliot House Old Cambridge
760 Massachusetts Ave First Business Telephone Old Cambridge
Cambridge St near Littauer Hall Harvard Branch Railroad Old Cambridge
Ash St at Memorial Dr Windmill Hill Old Cambridge
Brattle St at Elmwood Ave Tory Row Old Cambridge
Brattle St at Mason St Tory Row Old Cambridge
Brattle St at Fresh Pond Pkwy Tory Row Old Cambridge
Massachusetts Ave at Garden St Old Burial Ground Old Cambridge
Massachusetts Ave at Garden St Revolutionary Soldiers Old Cambridge
104 Winthrop St Old Stone Wall Old Cambridge
1400 Massachusetts Ave Old Courthouse Old Cambridge
Massachusetts Ave at Garden St Old Milestone Old Cambridge
250 Fresh Pond Pkwy First Business Telephone West Cambridge
650 Concord Ave Tudor Ice Company West Cambridge

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African-American Heritage Trail

Marker Location Marker Title Neighborhood
85 Oxford St Maria L. Baldwin Mid-Cambridge
55 Essex St Charlotte Hawkins Brown Cambridgeport
1 Lilac Ct William Wells Brown Cambridgeport
2 Florence Pl Lewis and Milton Clarke Cambridgeport
20 Flagg St W.E.B. Du Bois Cambridgeport
49 Lincoln St John J. Fatal Cambridgeport
1430 Massachusetts Ave Richard T. Greener Old Cambridge
53 Clifton St Pauline Hopkins North Cambridge
17 Story St Harriet Jacobs Old Cambridge
44 Webster Ave Lunsford Lane Cambridgeport
226 Upland Rd William H. Lewis North Cambridge
137 Allston St Bishop George A. McGuire Cambridgeport
265 Prospect St Clement G. Morgan Mid-Cambridge
30 Parker St Emery T. Morris Old Cambridge
10 Pleasant St Patrick H. Raymond Cambridgeport
28 Union St Alberta V. Scott Cambridgeport
79 Norfolk St Joshua Bowen Smith Cambridgeport
117 Dudley St Rev. P. Thomas Stanford North Cambridge
40 Magee St Franklin H. Wright Cambridgeport

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North Cambridge Historic Markers

Marker Location Marker Title Neighborhood
3 Cameron Ave Camp Cameron North Cambridge
2067 Massachusetts Ave Carriage Making North Cambridge
52 Walden St Cambridge Cattle Market North Cambridge
365 Rindge Ave Jerry's Pit North Cambridge
364 Rindge Ave Brick Manufacturing North Cambridge
45 Matignon Ave Cambridge Poor Farm North Cambridge
opposite 20 Alewife Brook Pkwy Fish Weir North Cambridge
5 Davenport St Newtowne Club North Cambridge
1879 Massachusetts Ave Rand Estate North Cambridge
9 Cedar St Second Town Poorhouse North Cambridge
2369 Massachusetts Ave Streetcar Barns North Cambridge
25 Churchill Ave Tannery Brook North Cambridge
35 Cedar St Trotting Park North Cambridge
2170 Massachusetts Ave Watson's Corner North Cambridge

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Granite Tombstone Markers

Marker Location Marker Title Neighborhood
52 Brattle St Spreading Chestnut Tree Old Cambridge
Broadway at Massachusetts Ave Continental Troops Old Cambridge
Broadway at Massachusetts Ave Hastings-Holmes House Old Cambridge
71 Dunster St Thomas Dudley House Old Cambridge
33 Elmwood Ave Elmwood House Old Cambridge
0 Garden St Christ Church Old Cambridge
20 Plympton St Apthorp House Mid-Cambridge
15 Inman St Inman House Mid-Cambridge
64 J.F. Kennedy St John Hicks House Old Cambridge
1399 Massachusetts Ave Fourth Meeting House Old Cambridge
2162 Massachusetts Ave Skirmish Site North Cambridge
62 Putnam Ave Fort #2 Cambridgeport
41 Second St Lechmere Point East Cambridge
69 Sciarappa St Lechmere Point East Cambridge

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Cast-Iron Markers

Marker Location Marker Title Neighborhood
Cambridge Common Cambridge Common Old Cambridge
1 Dunster St Old Cambridge Old Cambridge
6 Gerry's Landing Rd Sir Richard's Landing Old Cambridge
1750 Massachusetts Ave Cooper-Frost-Austin House Old Cambridge

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Cambridge History Stations

History Station Location Subject Matter Neighborhood
35 Pearl St. (on the side of the Green St. parking garage/Central Square library) Central Square / Cambridgeport Cambridgeport
208 Cambridge St. (at Registry of Deeds) East Cambridge East Cambridge
Dawes Park (at Mass. Ave. and Garden St.) Harvard Square / Old Cambridge Old Cambridge
1853 Massachusetts Ave. (in MBTA plaza) Porter Square / North Cambridge North Cambridge
345 River St. (in Riverside Press Park at River St. and Memorial Dr.) Riverside Neighborhood / Riverside Press Cambridgeport
Sacramento Field Park (read content here) Sacramento Field, Agassiz Neighborhood Mid Cambridge
Winthrop Square (adjacent to 100 Mt. Auburn St.) The Founding of Newtowne Old Cambridge
101 Waverly St. Fort Washington / Revolutionary War Cambridgeport

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