Cambridge Common

Historical markers dot the open lawns of the Common

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Garden Street & Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA

Designation:

Cambridge Common National Register District

MANAGED BY:

City of Cambridge

Amenities

6 listed

Benches/Seating, Bus/Shuttle Stop, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Playground, Public Transit, Trash/Litter Receptacles

A popular outdoor spot with tourists and locals alike, the Cambridge Common has been part of the history of Cambridge for over 250 years. A popular legend claims that George Washington took command of the army under the “Washington Elm” but there is no historical evidence to support this claim. The tree fell due to disease in the 1920s. Throughout the Boston Campaign, the Cambridge Common was used by the Continental Army as a place for drill and encampment. Today Cambridge Common has several monuments, including a plaque representing where the Washington Elm once stood, as well as a nearby trio of cannons dedicated to Revolutionary War figures. The cannons are dedicated to Brigadier General Tadeusz Kościuszko, Major General and Boston native Henry Knox, as well as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army General George Washington. In other spots in the common, there is a Civil War monument and another dedicated to victims of the Irish Famine.