Celebrating Historic Local Women By Foot Women’s Commission Walking Tour W omen have played a major role in Cambridge’s colorful history. To honor their known — as well as more obscure — contributions, the Cambridge Women’s Commission created a series of self-guided walking routes to explore these historic sites in different Cambridge neighborhoods. Check them out and enjoy the fresh air and exercise en route. One of the tours, the Riverside/Cambridgeport walk, is approximately two miles long, beginning and ending at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., and takes visitors by five historically- significant sites for women. As you head down “Mass Ave” and onto Western Avenue and Pleasant Street, you’ll learn about Sarah Sprague Jacobs, Florence Luscomb and the Cambridge Women’s Center. Jacobs was one of the first two women elected to Cambridge School Committee after the Massachusetts Legislature passed a law allowing women to vote in and run for school committee elections in 1879. Luscomb was a prominent suffragist, social activist and peace activist throughout her long life. And the Cambridge Women’s Center, the oldest continually operating Women’s Center in the country, celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. Next, weave along Howard, Callender and Hingham streets to Memorial Drive, where you are greeted by beautiful views of the Charles River. Here, you’ll learn about Isabella (Curtis) Halsted who, among other things, initiated and led a campaign to open Memorial Drive to foot traffic during the summer months (Riverbend Park). Another marker commemorates the “888 Memorial Drive Takeover,” which led to the founding of the Cambridge Women’s Center. Head back to City Hall through Flagg, Kinnaird and Hancock streets, and enjoy the beautiful and unique homes in these neighborhoods. DID YOU KNOW? Cambridge has a Street Code with rules of the road and etiquette for sharing Cambridge streets. Bit.ly/CambridgeStreetCode For a more detailed map of this walk, and to learn more about these women, please visit: CambridgeWomensCommission.org 34 | Getting Around Cambridge By the CAMBRIDGE WOMEN’S COMMISSION Photo: GRETCHEN ERTL Women's Commission Cambridge SWFIN.indd 2 5/20/17 10:05 PM