RESEND: Without 21MB of image attachments! Sorry if the one with all the pictures clogged up your email! I got carried away and didn't realize I had loaded up so many big images.
Your email server may have rejected the earlier, bigger message. But if you click on the links you'll see the maps.
-- Bill
EARLIER MESSAGE WITHOUT THE MAP IMAGES (You can still see the maps by clicking on the links)
Hi All,
I found a treasure trove of old Cambridge Maps, mostly on Harvard's online map collection.
They tell an interesting story of our neighborhood.
Each map includes a link that will take you to that map at its source.
We start in 1886 With a map that shows the ice houses on Fresh Pond. Ice from Fresh Pond was actually shipped to India as part of the "Ice Trade"
Most of the maps have a "graphic index" that lets you find the part of Cambridge you'd like to see. In this 1894 map, we're on Plate 30.
Our neighborhood in 1894: You can see the nursery that is where Old Dee Road is now. The West End Rail Road is where Star Market is now.
Look at the road called Hawthorne. By 1902, Fresh Pond Parkway will take over that area.
Now, in 1902, Fresh Pond Parkway is in place. But it couldn't have been made for automobiles. Rather, it must have been one of those grand avenues that would be filled with horses and carriages. And it looks like the destination truly was, well, Fresh Pond! Also, Aberdeen is now in place.
By 1916, our neighborhood is in place, and a few houses are built. The Hunt's house is there, as is the Albrights (originally Norris, who developed the Larches)
Also, it looks like Ed and Karen Crawley's lot has a house on it. But it shows up as yellow, which means a wood structure. Givne that the current house is brick, maybe that original house is gone.
By 1930, most of the neighborhood is built. And yes, Ed and Karen's house is now brick.
This 1930 map isn't available online from Harvard. But this company called www.wardmaps.com has the 1930 map, and the 1916 map.
They will make reproductions, and even make mugs, bags, coasters, etc.
Here is a 2005 Aerial photo of the neighborhood. (Usually taken from an airplane at about 8000')
Here is the exact same area in a 1937 aerial photo. It looks like the heavily treed area just north of Huron Ave used to be part of Fresh Pond. Or was it just that the trees were thick and showed up black in this old photo?
And here's the neighborhood today, from Google Maps:
Well, that's what I was able to find online, and I think it tells an interesting visual story of our neighborhood.
I hope you've enjoyed this tour through time. Note that the Harvard site has a button to "create printable version" which makes a PDF. So you can make your own prints of any area of Cambridge using these tools.
-- Bill