Cambridge
(chapter excerpt)
Even the casual visitor to the Village of Cambridge can see that this is a very old place of human habitation. Many of the houses, both large and small, are from the late eighteenth century. Nineteenth-century buildings along the main street range in style from the neoclassical Rice Mansion (huge, fluted Ionic columns) to the 1880 Hubbard Hall (dark Victorian, with a tower that looks as if it ought to be haunted) to the 1885 Cambridge Hotel (airy, wooden arches).
Through the middle of town and intersecting the road at a right angle runs the railroad track. The old station buildings have fallen into disrepair with the demise of the railroad, but the community is making excellent progress toward restoring them. It appears to me that this beautiful, historic village has an unusual opportunity to revive an unspoiled town center that once huddled around the rails. A superb farmers' market is tented out between the tracks and the hotel.
Rice Mansion
2007; gouache on canvas; 11 x 14 in.
This Greek Revival–style mansion is located on Main Street
in Cambridge. Recently restored to its original grandeur as a
bed-and-breakfast, it makes a grand impression as you drive
through the middle of town.