Cambridge Chronicle

The Cambridge Chronicle was a weekly newspaper that served Cambridge, Massachusetts. The newspaper was founded by Andrew Reid in May 1846. It ceased publication of its print edition in 2022, after being purchased by Gannett. It no longer publishes stories of its own, instead re-publishing regional stories from other Gannett papers.

Early Days
The Cambridge Chronicle was first published on May 7, 1846. A few days before, Cambridge was incorporated as a city, and Scotsman Andrew Reid seized on the opportunity to publish a weekly newspaper. Cambridge was home to the first printing press in the Colonies, and nearby Boston was home to the first newspaper. The Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick was founded in 1690, albeit short-lived. But beginning in the 18th century, Boston developed a vibrant newspaper industry.

Several newspapers were started in Cambridge. In 1775 and 1776. Cambridge was home to the New England Chronicle, earlier known as the Essex Gazette. In 1840, the Cambridge Magnolia started its two years of publication.

1846 to 1896
Cambridge developed a vibrant newspaper industry. The Cambridge Press was founded by James Cox in 1866. Its city editor, James W. Bean, became co-owner of the Chronicle in 1891. He set out on this venture with C. Burnside Seagrave, who had been with The Cambridge Tribune. The Cambridge Tribune from 1878 to 1966 was a competitor. It had been founded by D. Gilbert Dexter, who had worked for the Boston Journal as the Cambridge correspondent. The Cambridge News was founded by Daniel A. Buckley in 1879, who used it as a medium to promote his personal views. Since 1873, Cambridge's only daily newspaper has been The Harvard Crimson.

Editors
The first publisher, Reid, died on January 4, 1847, and John Ford took over his role. Charles Burnside Seagrave served as editor and publisher for over 40 years, up to his retirement in 1935. Another influential editor of the paper was Eliot Spalding. He joined the Chronicle in 1926, and in 1939 became its editor, a role he held until 1971.

Ownership changes
The Dole family acquired the Cambridge Chronicle in the 1930s. They merged it with its rival paper, the Cambridge Sun, in 1935. The family sold the newspapers to Fidelity Investments in 1991. It was integrated into the Community Newspaper Company, another subsidiary of Fidelity Investment, in 1996.

The Community Newspaper Company was sold to the Boston Herald's owner, Herald Media, in 2001. It was again sold to GateHouse Media, in 2006 (GateHouse Media later changed their name to Gannett). In September 2012, the Chronicle merged with Tab Communications's Cambridge Tab.

Production
The first editions were produced by hand press above the Holmes Grocery Store, on the corner of Magazine and Main Streets in Central Square. The paper is now printed in Framingham.

End of local coverage
In 2022, Will Dowd, the only remaining journalist writing for the Cambridge Chronicle, moved to work for the site Marblehead News. Gannett maintains a section of its Wicked Local website for the Cambridge Chronicle, but the newspaper exists in name only. The Chronicle no longer publishes any local news stories. Instead, it cross-posts regional New England news from other parts of the Wicked Local website. This follows a broader pattern for Gannett, who announced in April 2022 that it was ended print editions of 19 different local newspapers across Massachusetts.