Cambridge Historical Society & Museum

2005 Recap

	Quilts, Quilts, and more Quilts The collections committee has been hard at work getting ready for the re-opening of the Museum on Tuesday May 3^rd. Part of their efforts has focused on a collection of 12 quilts dating from the early 1800’s. Volunteers met throughout the winter to research, organize, and identify the quilts. The designs include the LeMoyne Star, the Double Irish Chain, and the Log Cabin.
	Wedding attire of Mr & Mrs John Collamer (Miss Nellie Randall), September 29, 1880. On loan from Mrs Myron Collamer Beaded crepe, two-piece wedding dress, circa 1920. Given by Florence Walwrath Civil War era bronze changeable taffeta dress with garland, bell sleeves, and should stole with embroidery and fringe. Pink lace and satin wedding dress, c. 1930, worn by Ruth Donan’s mother Ivory satin and lace wedding dress worn by Carrie Harsha, October 14, 1885.
	Large Turnout for Genealogy Lecture On Saturday May 21^st a large crowd at the Cambridge Museum was treated to an informative and entertaining genealogy lecture by Jean Nudd of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Pittsfield. Nudd showed how to use military and census records to research your family’s roots. She explained that volunteers at the NARA are available to assist you and even do preliminary research. The archives are online at http://www.archives.gov.
Really, Old Cambridge When you research the history of Cambridge you often hear the term “Old Cambridge”. Well, last Wednesday evening at the Cambridge Museum Bill O’Donnell gave a talk on “Really Old Cambridge”. Bill described his 12 years of archaeological research and excavation within the village that uncovered artifacts from the Late Archaic era, about 3800 years ago. Bill displayed many spear points and stone tools from the dozens of firepits he discovered 2 to 3 feet below the surface near the Owl Kill.
	School History Lecture Last Wednesday Ken Gottry presented a History of Cambridge Schools at the Cambridge Museum. The large audience joined in and shared their memories of education in and around Cambridge. The presentation covered the village schools from 1799 to 1947. This included the Cambridge Washington Academy, the Putnam Institute, and the red brick building on North Park Street, the oldest schoolhouse in Cambridge.
Old Maps Lecture a Big Success The Cambridge Historical Society was pleased that Jim Connally spoke on August 17^th at the fourth program of its summer series. He discussed maps and how to make overlays from progressively dated maps to track changes in land uses. He exhibited approximately 20 maps and a few artifacts that he found on his treasure hunts. The audience was delighted with the tales of his adventures.
	Rice Seed Fountain Dedication Highlights Heritage Weekend This past Saturday the Heritage Weekend at the Cambridge Historical Society and Museum got underway with the dedication of the Rice Seed fountain. The fountain, which adorned the Rice Seed campus for many years, was donated to the museum by the White family. Benji White mused that the museum take care in the restoration as he spent many summers of his youth painting the fountain. In attendance was the grandaughter of Jerome B Rice.
Antique Doll Party Held at Cambridge Historical Society On Saturday October 22, guests of all ages attended a lecture on antique dolls at the Cambridge Historical Society and Museum. Janice Tomczak, owner of the “Faeries Live Here Too” store in Greenwich, had a lovely display of vintage dolls. She described the history of the dolls, explaining what’s popular today and why. Also on hand was Janette Moseley talking about many of the dolls in her collection, including Little Lulu and Shirley Temple.
	Christmas in November This year the Cambridge Historical Society and Museum will ring in the holidays and get into the Christmas spirit with a fund-raising extravaganza to be held on Saturday and Sunday, November 19 and 20, 2005 from 10am to 4pm. We will hold our 3^rd annual Christmas Wreath Sale, along with holiday ornaments, decorations, and more. This year’s festivities also include a silent auction of exquisite items that will make your Christmas bright. We will have our 2006 calendar available for purchase. This year we’re celebrating “Cambridge, The Early 20^th Century” with a calendar containing a selection of color postcards depicting old landmarks and views of the Village.
Festive Open House at Cambridge Historical Society Last Friday evening, following the Santa parade and the tree lighting and the book reading at the Hotel, dozens of people continued north on Broad Street to celebrate a Victorian Open House at the Cambridge Historical Society and Museum. The museum was decorated with hand-made wreaths and ornaments. The guests were treated to hot, mulled cider and homemade goodies. But the best treat was Dominic Russo, the CCS music teacher, and several of his students who led the guests in an old-time songfest. At first the guests were content to enjoy the talents of our local CCS chorus, but before long everyone was joining in. We may not have sounded like Nat King Cole when we sang "Merry Christmas to You" but we sure had "kids from one to ninety-two" joining in.