Cambridge Springs

History

The village of Cambridge was settled in 1822 and named for the town of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was incorporated into the borough of Cambridgeboro on April 3, 1866. In the late 19th century, Cambridgeboro was known for its mineral springs. The discovery of the springs eventually led to the borough being renamed to Cambridge Springs on April 1, 1897. In 1904, the Rider Hotel in Cambridge Springs was the site of a famous chess tournament won by Frank Marshall ahead of World Champion Emanuel Lasker and fourteen other players. A variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined opening played several times there is today known as the Cambridge Springs Defense (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.Nf3 Qa5 in algebraic notation). From 1912 to 1987, it was home to Alliance College. In 1912, United States President William Howard Taft traveled to Cambridge Springs for the dedication. The site of the college is now occupied by the State Correctional Institution – Cambridge Springs, a minimum-security prison. In the early 20th century, the town became a "veritable 'Mecca' to chronic hoboes" who were interested in meeting Leon Ray Livingston, the famed hobo and author who had established Cambridge Springs as his home base while not traveling. The borough adopted a home rule charter on May 21, 1974, that took effect on January 5, 1976. While the community's official name remains the "Borough of Cambridge Springs", it is no longer subject to the Pennsylvania Borough Code.

Geography

Cambridge Springs is located in north-central Crawford County at (41.802324, -80.059174). It is surrounded by Cambridge Township, a separate municipality. U.S. routes 19 and 6 pass together through Cambridge Springs, leading north to their split near Mill Village and south to Meadville, the Crawford County seat. Erie is north of Cambridge Springs via US 19. Pennsylvania Route 99 leads northwest from Cambridge Springs to Edinboro, PA 86 leads south to Woodcock, and PA 408 leads southeast to Titusville. According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all land. French Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River, flows through the northern part of Cambridge Springs.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,531
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  3,438
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,282
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3,226
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,980
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  2,766
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,567
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,519

Largest nearby schools

• Saegertown El Sch
  Elementary · Saegertown · 449 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Saegertown JSHS
  High · Saegertown · 445 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Cambridge Springs El Sch
  Elementary · Cambridge Springs · 392 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• Cambridge Springs JSHS
  High · Cambridge Springs · 368 students · 12.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-03-05
  3 km SW of Madison, Ohio
• M 2.7 — 2026-01-06
  4 km ENE of North Madison, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2025-05-12
  4 km ESE of Madison, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2024-06-01
  1 km E of Madison, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2024-01-05
  3 km SE of Madison, Ohio
• M 3.6 — 2023-08-28
  7 km SE of Madison, Ohio