“Washington in American Memory” Series in Cambridge, Starting 10 Nov.

The Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, working with History Cambridge, the Cambridge Historical Commission, and Cambridge MA250, has organized a series of Sestercentennial panel discussions and talks at the Cambridge Public Library on the theme of “Washington in American Memory.”

This series runs through April 2026. Here are the events scheduled for this calendar year.

Monday, 10 November, 6 to 7:30 P.M.
From Revolution to Remembrance: Memory of the American Revolution
Cambridge Public Library and online

Explore how Americans have remembered, reinterpreted, and reshaped the meaning of the American Revolution from 1776 to today, featuring:

• Michael Hattem, author of Past and Prologue: Politics and Memory in the American Revolution and Associate Director of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute
• Nikki Stewart, Executive Director of Old North Illuminated

Register here.

Tuesday, 2 December, 6 to 7:30 P.M.
The First Commander Remembered: Washington’s Legacy in Cambridge
Cambridge Public Library and online

Debunk myths and trace the evolution of the public memory of George Washington in Cambridge, Massachusetts, featuring:

• J. L. Bell, author of The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War and proprietor of Boston 1775
• Charles Sullivan, co-author of Building Old Cambridge: Architecture and Development and Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Commission

Register here.

All these events will be free thanks to funding from Eastern National.

Unfortunately, some of the people who worked hard to organize this series are now not being paid and legally barred from their jobs in the National Park Service because of the federal government shutdown. Because these panel discussions will be at the city library, they will go on, unlike events scheduled at parks themselves. But it’s a hell of a way for the U.S. government to celebrate the 250th.