Carriage Making [Cambridge] - Massachusetts Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The sign says:

"In rural New England, wagons and carriages were built in almost every village large enough to support a blacksmith and a wheelwright. North Cambridge, which grew up along a major highway linking the towns of Middlesex County with Boston, once had many such craftsmen.

"In the mid-19th century, a few craftsmen enlarged their operations with great success. In 1848, Walter Allen built a sizable carriage shop on Massachusetts Avenue at the corner of the street later named for him. Allen was succeeded in 1863 by Francis Ivers, who continued the business until the First World War, when the building was taken over by an automobile dealer.

"Members of the Henderson famliy were the busiest carriage builders in North Cambridge. Robert Henderson started a blacksmith shop on Massachusetts Avenue near Day Street in 1841, and in 1862 he and his sons began building carriages in an old shed near Hadley Street. In 1869, the Hendersons divided their enterprise. Robert and his son George returned to their original site; son James built a factory near Cameron Avenue; and Robert Jr. and John, calling themselves the Henderson Brothers, built the largest and most successful factory at the Hadley Street location.

"The Henderson brothers erected woodworking and blacksmith shops at the back of the lot and a large 'repository' facing Massachusetts Avenue. When the latter burned down in 1892, the Hendersons put up an even larger building to provide space for the seasonal storage of carriages and sleighs.

"None of the North Cambridge carriage builders survived for long in the automobile age. Henderson Brothers began making truck bodies in the 1920s, but the firm never regained its earlier success. By 1930 the factory had ceased production. The repository housed an automobile dealership until it was renovated for stores and offices in 1986; it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places."

There are pictures and captions on this sign, as well.

The sign is located on the corner at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Hadley Street. There is also a blue oval sign put out by the Cambridge Historical Commission that someone can claim.

The lobby has other signs, but the building was locked at the time of my visit on Sunday, 2/04/2007.

Agency Responsible for Placement: Cambridge Historical Commission County: Middlesex City/Town Name: Cambridge Agency Responsible for Placement (if not in list above): Not listed Year Placed: Not listed Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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