On Carlisle Road 0.6 miles north of Main Street (Massachusetts Route 27), on the left when traveling east.
Here was the home of Captain John Heald, first selectman of Acton, who on April 19, 1689, marched to Boston with a military company to assist in the overthrow of Sir Edmund Andros. — — Map (db m48826) HM
Site of first house in Acton, built by Captain Thomas Wheeler in 1668. He was commissioned to keep fifty cattle for the inhabitants and at night protect them in a yard from wild beasts. He was wounded by the Indians in King Philip's War. — — Map (db m48823) HM
Near Park Circle, on the left when traveling north.
On this site
Arlington erected a standpipe
1894
The Metropolitan Water Works
acquired the standpipe and
began to supply water to
Arlington 1899
From the standpipe were also supplied
Lexington 1903
Belmont 1909
The first standpipe . . . — — Map (db m50842) HM
On Jason Street, on the right when traveling south.
Built by Martha, widow of William Russell, about 1680. Occupied until 1890 by her descendants, of whom Jason Russell lost his life in the conflict of April 19, 1775. — — Map (db m43052) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (U.S. 3) at Pleasant Street ( Route 60), on the right when traveling east on Massachusetts Avenue.
At this spot on April 19, 1775 the Old Men of Menotomy captured a convoy of eighteen soldiers with supplies on its way to join the British at Lexington. — — Map (db m18138) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (U.S. 3) at Mystic Street ( Route 60), on the right when traveling west on Massachusetts Avenue.
Near this spot Samuel Whittemore, then 80 years old, killed three British soldiers April 19, 1775. He was shot, bayoneted, beaten and left for dead, but recovered and lived to be 98 years of age. — — Map (db m18142) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue at Lowell Street, on the right when traveling west on Massachusetts Avenue.
1635 Menotomy 1807 West Cambridge 1867 Arlington This park is dedicated by the people of Arlington to the memory of Colonial Minutemen and British soldiers who met here in the first great battle of the Revolutionary War. British troops in retreat . . . — — Map (db m18613) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue at Lowell Street, on the right when traveling west on Massachusetts Avenue.
In this neighborhood “The Foot of the Rocks” Henry Wellington, a commissioned officer of the War of 1812-14, and his wife Eliza Teele, natives of this town, made their home in 1819; in honor of his parents, and ancestors, this memorial . . . — — Map (db m18615) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (U.S. 3) at Mystic Street ( Route 60), on the right when traveling west on Massachusetts Avenue.
“Uncle Sam” The birthplace of Samuel Wilson once stood near the main crossroad of the Northwest parish of Cambridge, the center of the district known as Menotomy. Wilson, born on September 13, 1766, was only eight when . . . — — Map (db m45243) HM
On Richardson Road at South Road, in the median on Richardson Road.
Near this spot was the residence and garrison of John Fitch, for whom Fitchburg was named.On the 5th of July 1748 he was attacked by Indians and after a hot fight, in which the two soldiers with him were killed, he was captured with his whole family . . . — — Map (db m132882) HM
On Springs Road north of Great Road, on the right when traveling north.
Old Burying Ground
Forty-Three Bedford Soldiers of the American Revolution
Capt. Moses Abbott ·
Mr. Moses Abbott Jun'r. ·
Mr. Abijah Bacon ·
Mr. Elijah Bacon ·
John Bacon ·
Mr. Oliver Bacon ·
Reuben Bacon ·
Thompson Bacon Esq. · . . . — — Map (db m309603) WM
On Concord Avenue at Pleasant Street ( Route 60), on the right when traveling west on Concord Avenue.
who died to save the Union
1861 1865
• Lieut. John Locke Co. F 40th Regt N.Y. Vols • Lieut. Jas. McGinnis Co. H 48th Regt Mass. Vols • William H. Benson Co. H 2nd Regt U.S.S. • Albert C. Frost Co. C 15th Regt Mass. Vols • Charles . . . — — Map (db m198141) WM
Site of homestead of Captain Jonathan Danforth, pioneer of Billerica and famous surveyor. "He rode
the circuit, chain'd great towns and farms to good behavior; and by well worked stations he fixed their bounds for many generations. " — — Map (db m104020) HM
On Billerica Avenue just north of Hickory Lane, on the right when traveling north.
Near this spot stood the John Rogers homestead, which was destroyed in the Indian massacre of 1695, and the entire family killed. — — Map (db m48838) HM
On Liberty Square Road 0.2 miles north of Massachusetts Avenue ( Route 111), on the left when traveling north.
Henderson Inches operated a sawmill on this site circa 1806–1865. The mill was used to clear his large oak woods which extended east and west of this location. The mill foundation, millrace and dam are visible before you.
Henry David . . . — — Map (db m108986) HM
On Ames Street at Broadway, on the left when traveling south on Ames Street.
Past, Present, Future is a mural designed by youth artists in the Teen Public Art Program at The Community Art Center in the fall of 2021. Lead by artist and Teen Public Art Program Manager, Jack O'Hearn, each teen created their own artwork based . . . — — Map (db m215198) HM
On Main Street east of Havward Street, on the left when traveling east.
On the morning of September 3rd 1960 Officer Gorman surprised two men who were trying to force open the back door of Symmes Restaurant located at 254 Main St. As he chased them through the alley to Main St., one of the pair turned and fired point . . . — — Map (db m244408) HM
On Main Street just west of Wadsworth Street, on the left when traveling east.
The Looking Glass invites you to gaze backward and forward in time. Imagine Cambridge's first building boom spurred by the opening of the West Boston Bridge (on the site of the Longfellow Bridge) in 1793. Catch a glimpse in the other direction of . . . — — Map (db m215196) HM
On Main Street at Wadsworth Street, on the right when traveling west on Main Street.
The Looking Glass invites you to gaze backward and forward in time. Imagine Cambridge's first building boom spurred by the opening of the West Boston Bridge (on the site of the Longfellow Bridge) in 1793. Catch a glimpse in the other direction of . . . — — Map (db m215197) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue at Memorial Drive, on the right when traveling south on Massachusetts Avenue.
In Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of The Smoot.
In October 1958 the span of this bridge was measured using the body of Oliver Reed Smoot MIT '62 and found to be 364.4 smoots +/-1 ear. This provided a very useful metric for generations . . . — — Map (db m178280) HM
On Oxford Street near Sacamento Street, on the left when traveling north.
Maria Louise Baldwin was the headmaster of the Agassiz Grammar School in Cambridge, the first African American to hold such a position in the North.
Baldwin was born on April 22, 1856, the oldest child of Peter and Mary Baldwin. Her father, an . . . — — Map (db m223031) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Linnaean Street, on the right when traveling south on Massachusetts Avenue.
At Number 21 Linnaean Street is the Cooper-Austin House built in 1657 at what was then the northern end of the Cambridge Cow Common, by John Cooper, selectman, town clerk, and deacon of the church. — — Map (db m43049) HM
On Waverly Street, on the right when traveling north.
Constructed November 1775 by the Continental Army under General George Washington. This fort was used during the Siege of Boston and helped force its evacuation by the British. — — Map (db m18763) HM
On Museum of Science Driveway just east of Charles River Dam Road ( Route 28), on the right when traveling east.
The Connecticut River valley has a large number of dinosaur tracks preserved in sedimentary rocks. These footprints were cast from tracks at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. The site was discovered in 1966 and has more than 2,000 . . . — — Map (db m186293) HM
On Charles River Dam Road (Massachusetts Route 28) 0.1 miles east of Edwin H Land Boulevard, on the right when traveling east.
While red granite is found elsewhere in the world, this block is from the same quarry that provided stones for the outer casing of Menkaure's pyramid at Giza, Egypt and for other ancient monuments and statues. This block is the same size as the ones . . . — — Map (db m186292) HM
On Charles River Dam Road east of Edwin H. Land Boulevard, on the left when traveling east.
Brad Washburn (1910–2007) was founding director of the Museum and served in that role from 1939 until 1980. Explorer, mountaineer, aerial photographer, and cartographer, Brad created detailed maps of Mount Everest, the Grand Canyon, Denali (then . . . — — Map (db m176243) HM
On Charles River Dam Road east of Edwin H. Land Boulevard, on the right when traveling east.
This full-size Tyrannosaurus rex model was made in the 1960's. At that time only five T. rex skeletons had ever been found. All
were incomplete, leaving many questions about this prehistoric animal unanswered.
Tyrannosaurus rex Since then, . . . — — Map (db m176244) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue at Cambridge Street, on the right when traveling south on Massachusetts Avenue.
On this spot in 1630 stood an Ancient Oak under which were held colonial elections. This scion of the Washington Elm was planted May 1896. — — Map (db m311630) HM
On Cambridge Street at Massachusetts Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Cambridge Street.
Here assembled on the night of June 16th, 1775, 1200 Continental troops under command of General Prescott. After prayer by President Langdon they marched to Bunker Hill. — — Map (db m277938) HM WM
On Story Street at Mt. Auburn Street, on the right when traveling south on Story Street.
Harriet A. Jacobs was born into
slavery in Edenton, North
Carolina, to Delilah Horniblow and Daniel Jacobs.
Harriet and her brother John (who
later lectured for the abolitionist
movement) were orphaned at an early
age and passed down to . . . — — Map (db m176358) HM
Near Broadway east of Cambridge Street, on the right when traveling east.
Holworthy
Hall
—
Built with the proceeds
of a state lottery
1812
—
Named
in honor of
an English merchant
Sir Matthew Holworthy
who in 1681 gave £1000
the largest gift
received by
Harvard College
during the
seventeenth . . . — — Map (db m279091) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Harvard Street, on the right when traveling west on Massachusetts Avenue.
Josiah Quincy was born to a family of patriots, U.S. Presidents, and public leaders all deeply rooted in American history. Graduating from Harvard College in 1790, Josiah Quincy first served as a U.S. Congressman (1805-1813), then in the . . . — — Map (db m249170) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Dunster Street, on the right when traveling west on Massachusetts Avenue.
Near this spot as indicated in the street pavement stood when the College was founded two houses.
To the East
The house occupied by Nathaniel Eaton first teacher of the college 1638 - 1639 while the College Hall was building.
To . . . — — Map (db m278027) HM
On Mt. Auburn Street at John F. Kennedy Street, on the left when traveling east on Mt. Auburn Street.
The greatest American mathematician and philosopher of his time, a fellow of the Royal Society, lived here from 1746 to 1779 1714-1779 — — Map (db m177014) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) south of Church Street, on the right when traveling south.
Richard T. Greener, the first African American to graduate from Harvard College, had a distinguished career in public service.
Greener was born in Philadelphia. His father, a sailor, disappeared in the Gold Rush in 1853. The family moved to . . . — — Map (db m215383) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Harvard Street, on the right when traveling north on Massachusetts Avenue.
Proprietor of the Hong Kong Restaurant of Harvard Square. This plaque commemorates the more than fifty years during which Sen Lee and the Lee Family have built the Hong Kong Restaurant as a Cambridge destination and made Cambridge their home. The . . . — — Map (db m251189) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Harvard Street, on the right when traveling north on Massachusetts Avenue.
In memory of Sgt. Thomas J. Williams, A U.S. Co.F.40C RECT. 102nd Inf, Div. Born May 17, 1911 at Cambridge, Mass. Died Mar 2, 1946 from wounds in battle at Aachen, Germany Nov 17, 1944. Erected 1949 by his family and neighbors — — Map (db m251190) WM
On Mount Auburn Street west of John F. Kennedy Street, on the right when traveling east.
The Founding of Newtowne
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Puritans of Lincolnshire and East Anglia, England, in anticipation of their emigration to New England, organized the Massachusetts Bay Company in 1628, and obtained a grant of the . . . — — Map (db m215331) HM
On Waterhouse Street close to Concord Avenue, on the left when traveling east.
Waterhouse House
Built by Patriot Gideon Frost
Home of Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse
1st Harvard Professor of Medicine
Introducer of Smallpox Vaccine
1753 — — Map (db m302350) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue at Waterhouse Street, on the left when traveling north on Massachusetts Avenue.
John Bridge
1578–1665
Left Braintree, Essex County, England, 1631
as a member of Rev. Mr. Hooker's company.
Settled here 1632
and stayed when that company
removed to the Connecticut.
He had supervision of the first public school . . . — — Map (db m279428) HM
1858 – 1931
On the site of this church
Appleton Chapel
stood for seventy three years
The University has preserved
the name here in the choir — — Map (db m278615) HM
Near Broadway east of Cambridge Street, on the right when traveling east.
This stone from the fabric of
St. Savior's Church, Southwark, London
now the Cathedral Church of that Diocese
commemorates the Baptism of John Harvard
there on November 6, 1607 — — Map (db m281704) HM
The Memorial Church bell honors those who died in World War I with the inscription "In Memory of Voices That Are Hushed." This 5,000-pound bell was cast in 1926 by John Taylor & Co., a foundry in Loughborough, England, and donated to Harvard in . . . — — Map (db m283131) HM WM
On Prospect Street south of Hampshire Street, on the right when traveling south.
Clement Garnett Morgan, a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, was the first African American elected to the Board of Alderman in Cambridge. He was a founder of the Niagara Movement, a predecessor of the National Association for . . . — — Map (db m215272) HM
Historic Plaque On this spot stood Jake & Earl's Dixie BBQ
A favorite hangout of local patriots
Destroyed by a regiment of British troops in
the spring of 1775.
Officially not on the Freedom Trail, it was
still one of Paul Revere's . . . — — Map (db m70038) HM
On Broadway west of Galileo Galilei Way, on the right when traveling east.
This park is dedicated in memory of
Danny Lewin
May 14, 1970 - September 11, 2001
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer
Akamai Technologies, Inc. — — Map (db m215200) HM WM
On Massachusetts Avenue, on the right when traveling west.
Site of the Fourth Meeting House built in 1756. Here Washington worshipped in 1775. Constitutional Convention of Massachusetts held here in 1779. Lafayette welcomed here in 1824. — — Map (db m77777) HM
Near Massachusetts Avenue at Linden Street, on the right when traveling north.
On this spot stood
Gore Hall
Architect Richard Bond Supervisor Daniel Treadwell,
Built in the year 1838 named in honor of Christopher Gore
Class of 1776
Fellow of the College Overseer Benefactor
Governor of the Commonwealth . . . — — Map (db m277101) HM
Built by the Province of The Massachusetts Bay in New England, in 1763
Named in honor of Thomas Hollis of London, Merchant, and other members of the same family, constant and generous benefactors of Harvard College from 1719 to 1804
. . . — — Map (db m109037) HM
Near Massachusetts Avenue at Dunster Street, on the right when traveling west.
Near this spot from 1655 to 1698 stood the Indian College. Here American Indian and English students lived and studied in accordance with the 1650 charter of Harvard College calling for the education of the English and Indian youth of this . . . — — Map (db m77789) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) south of Peabody Street, on the right when traveling north.
Erected in memory of
John "Muggsie" Kelly
March 6, 1923 - May 18, 1982
He gave his life during construction
Harvard Square Station — — Map (db m215384) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue north of Arrow Street, on the right when traveling north.
This building, designed by Alexander Esty and constructed between 1867 and 1870,
has been listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places since 1982.
All who enter here are welcome! — — Map (db m177013) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Route 2A) at Holyoke Street, on the left when traveling east on Massachusetts Avenue.
The Reverend Joseph McKean Std LLD
Born at Ipswich Massachusetts 19 April 1776
Died at Havana Cuba 17 March 1818
A graduate of this college 1794
Teacher of youth, minister of the Gospel
Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory . . . — — Map (db m215389) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Holyoke Street, on the right when traveling west on Massachusetts Avenue.
In honor of
Thomas Shepard
Pastor of the
Church in Cambridge
1636 - 1649
Member of
the first Board
of Overseers
of Harvard College
1637 - 1649
It was with respect unto this vigilancy and the enlightening and powerful . . . — — Map (db m215393) HM
Near Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Holyoke Street, on the right when traveling west.
To Harvard University students faculty staff alumni whose generosity fifty years ago opened doors to student refugees from Nazi persecution. May this tree express in grace and beauty the abiding and heartfelt gratitude of the recipients. — — Map (db m215387) HM WM
Near Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Peabody Street, on the right when traveling north.
University Hall (1813-1815) was designed by Charles Bulfinch (Harvard Class of 1781) and is a National Historic Landmark. The statue is by Daniel Chester French. It represents John Harvard, of whom no known likeness exists. The model was Sherman . . . — — Map (db m215386) HM
On Garden Street west of Massachusetts Avenue ( Route 2A), on the left when traveling east.
An Gorta Mór - The Great Hunger
Ireland 1845 - 1850
Dedicated by the President of Ireland, Mary Robinson
July 23, 1997
Never again should a people starve in a world of plenty — — Map (db m215356) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Garden Street, on the right when traveling south on Massachusetts Avenue.
The Pasture
When Cambridge was settled in 1630, the town extended 35 miles into the countryside and all the land outside the village was held in common. The most desirable tracts were distributed to settlers, but some pastures were . . . — — Map (db m215360) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue south of Waterhouse Street, on the right when traveling south.
The Soldiers and Sailors of Cambridge, whose names here are inscribed, died in the service of their country, in the war for the maintenance of the Union. To perpetuate the memory of their valor and patriotism, this Monument is erected by the City, . . . — — Map (db m177016) HM WM
On Garden Street at Mason Street, on the right when traveling west on Garden Street.
At this place General Henry Knox delivered to General George Washington in January 1776 the train of artillery brought from Fort Ticonderoga to force the enemy to evacuate Boston. — — Map (db m17963) HM
On Garden Street at Massachusetts Avenue ( Route 2A), on the right when traveling west on Garden Street.
Near this spot on July 3, 1775,
George Washington
took command of the American Army
In memory of this event, this gate, was erected A.D. October, 1906 — — Map (db m215363) WM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Garden Street, on the right when traveling south on Massachusetts Avenue.
Beginnings
Cambridge was founded in 1630 as a new settlement meant by the Puritan leaders in Boston to be their permanent capital. The site chosen was a low hill three miles up the Charles River and hence safe from attack by sea. Streets . . . — — Map (db m215376) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Garden Street, on the left when traveling north on Massachusetts Avenue.
A Revolution in Cambridge
March on Elmwood
On September 1 and 2, 1774, hundreds of New England militiamen gathered on the Cambridge Common to demand the resignation of three members of the Mandamus Council recently appointed by . . . — — Map (db m215365) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Route 2A) at Garden Street, on the right when traveling south on Massachusetts Avenue.
Newtowne
One of the Neatest and Best Compacted Towns
So wrote William Wood in New England's Prospect in 1633. At this time, sixty families occupied the first planned community in America, in which the houses were required to . . . — — Map (db m215372) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue (Massachusetts Route 2A) at Garden Street, on the right when traveling south on Massachusetts Avenue.
Old Cambridge
The Transformation of Old Cambridge
The Forces of Change and Growth
Before 1900, new public water supplies, sewers, and parks had opened the way for development in and around old Cambridge. Completion of the subway in . . . — — Map (db m215368) HM
On Garden Street, on the right when traveling west.
Reverend Thomas Hooker and his congregation took this path on their exodus from Cambridge in 1636. The strong bent of their spirits caused them to seek new lands and eventually to found Hartford in Connecticut. second marker: View of . . . — — Map (db m44255) HM
On Garden Street east of Mason Street, on the right when traveling west.
He represented those who had no voice, position or power. He exemplified those principles on which this nation was founded.
Proclamation of the City of Cambridge, 2008
The five black panels are . . . — — Map (db m215348) HM WM
On Massachusetts Avenue at Garden Street, on the right when traveling south on Massachusetts Avenue.
Past this place at midnight, April 18-19, 1775, rode at the gallop William Dawes, member of the Ancient & Honorable Artillery Company and first rider to alert the Minutemen that the British were marching on Lexington and Concord. Route of William . . . — — Map (db m177009) HM
Washington Street, Somerville, and Kirkland and Brattle Streets, Cambridge, "Skirting marshes and river," follow the old Indian trail from Charlestown to Watertown. Along this way in 1636 went the Reverend Thomas Hooker and his congregation on their . . . — — Map (db m48017) HM
On Upland Road near Newell Street, on the left when traveling west.
William H. Lewis, a graduate of Harvard Law School, was the first African American to serve as assistant attorney general of the United States.
Born in Berkeley, Virginia, Lewis went to public schools in nearby Portsmouth, where his father was a . . . — — Map (db m222997) HM
On the evening of October 11, 1920, James Walter Mullally, a crossing tender on the Boston & Maine Railroad at the North Cambridge station, which was located nearby, lost his life in a vain attempt to rescue the aged Mrs. Emma Osgood from an . . . — — Map (db m100461) HM
On Clifton Street near Dubley Street, on the left when traveling south.
Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, a novelist and editor, was born in Portland, Maine, the daughter of Northrup and Sarah Hopkins. Among her mother's relatives was the Reverend Thomas Paul, the founder
and first pastor of the African Meeting
House on Joy . . . — — Map (db m222931) HM
On Dudley Street near Clay Street, on the left when traveling east.
The Reverend P. Thomas Stanford is best known as an author and as the protégé of the
Reverend Henry Ward Beecher and
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Born into slavery in Hampton, Virginia, Stanford was orphaned at an early age when his parents were . . . — — Map (db m222399) HM
On Parker Street at Healed Street, on the right when traveling east on Parker Street.
Emery T. Morris was a prominent member of the Niagara Movement, an early civil rights organization.
Morris was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on October 9, 1849. He was a nephew of Robert Morris, an African American attorney and abolitionist. His . . . — — Map (db m223022) HM
On Massachusetts Avenue at Dunster Street, on the right when traveling south on Massachusetts Avenue.
Location chosen in 1630 to be the capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Settled in 1631 under leadership of Thomas Dudley and called the New Town. The College ordered to be here, 1637. Name changed to Cambridge after the English University Town, . . . — — Map (db m48824) HM
On Mount Auburn Street (Massachusetts Route 2A) east of Plympton Street, on the left when traveling east.
Here Joan Baez and Bob Dylan sang duets, Muddy Waters played the blues, and Tom Rush, the Charles River Valley Boys and Eric Von Schmidt led the 60s folk revival. — — Map (db m215316) HM
Hear!
Dr. Martin Luther King
at
First Baptist Church
Central Square, Cambridge, Massachsuetts
Sunday, January 10, 1960 -- 7:30 P.M.
Special music by the Boston University Seminary Singers
Sponsored by the Cambridge . . . — — Map (db m215277) HM
On Magee Street east of Putnam Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
Franklin Hamilton Wright, a life-long resident of Riverside, was an early member of the City Council and one of the founders of the Cambridge Community Center. — — Map (db m215279) HM
