Cambridge Springs is located near the center of Cambridge Township, on the banks of French Creek. In 1866 a petition, signed by forty-five citizens, to incorporate Cambridge as a borough, was presented to the grand jury, which reported favorably. The decision was confirmed by the Court of Quarter Sessions, and the village was incorporated under the name of the Borough of Cambridgeboro. An election was ordered to be held, which resulted in the selection of A. B. Ross for burgess; N. L. Snow, justice of the peace: and D. D. Birchard, Abel Drake, S. B. Hadley, R. W. Perrin and P. K. Carroll for members of the council. A postoffice was also established here under the name of Cambridgeboro. On April 1, 1897, the name of the borough was changed by the courts to Cambridge Springs, and at the same time the Postoffice Department made a similar change in the name of the office. Jesse C. Allee is the present burgess, and Wm. H. Klie is the postmaster.

Although the village is an old one, its growth was for many years very slow. Much of the land now occupied by the borough was tract No. 127, which was first settled by the Van Courts, as related in Cambridge Township. The cabin of Job Van Court occupied the present site of M. B. Ross' residence, on Venango Avenue. Bailey Fullerton, in 1809, occupied what is now the southern part of the village, and remained a resident until his death in 1845. He operated a distillery in addition to following the occupation of a farmer. In 1815 the two-hundred acre tract from which the Van Courts had been ejected was sold by the Holland Land Company to Nathan Cummings, who took possession and erected a log cabin at the head of Venango Avenue, near the present site of the American House. He afterwards sold one hundred acres of the tract to his brother, Joseph T. Cummings, a former resident of Evansburgh, who, about 1822, soon after the turnpike was constructed, laid out the village plat. Nathan Cummings was a physician, and beside him there were Drs. Lorin West, William Killison, J. A. M. Alexander, Peter Faulkner and Joseph Gray, who all followed the same profession in this vicmity. The first stores were established by Dr. West and John Marvin, and soon afterwards Ralph Snow and John W. McFadden became local merchants. A tavern was opened by Edward Hicks, before 1812, within the present limits of the borough, on the north side of French Creek, and another was kept in the same locality by Thomas Fullerton. Nathan Cummings and Horatio G. Davis were contemporary tavern-keepers south of the creek.

Until about i860 it developed very little, being nothing more than a small trading point for that portion of the county, but the construction of the Atlantic and Great Western, now the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad, infused new life into the village, and a steady growth commenced which has continued up to the present day. George Thomas erected a cheese factory, the first of the present system in the county, and afterwards built a saw-mill on Church Street in connection with it. This was successful for some time, but was afterwards burned. Kitchen Hoag had built the first saw-mill in the village in 1847, and after several years of active business it was consumed by fire. B.M. Sherwood then erected a large saw and planing mill on the same site, which has since been one of the most important industries of the village, employing at some times as many as forty men. It is now operated by Sherwood and Son, and includes a grist mill and shovel-handle factory, besides the saw and planing mill. Similar industries are carried on by Tryon and Mattison and the Phcenix Novelty Works, and their production each year forms an important item in the business of Cambridge Springs.

The village is well supplied with dry goods, grocery, boot and shoe, jewelry, clothing, hardware, drug, furniture and other kinds of stores, besides bakeries, livery, stables and a photograph gallery. Several physicians and dentists are also located there. Carriage shops, blacksmith shops, shoe shops, harness shops and other similar establishments are in sufficient number to supply the wants of the village and surrounding country. A tannery is operated by Jacob Bolard; S. Hartman is the proprietor of a hay press and transacts a large business in pressing and shipping hay; and a marble works is owned by F. L. Jones. There are also in the village a warehouse, numerous excellent hotels, and bottling works which prepare enormous quantities of mineral water and ginger ale for the market. Two well established banks carry on business at Cambridge Springs, The Farmers' Savings Bank and J. L. & A. Kelley. C. Blystone is the president of the Farmers' Savings Bank, and L. A. Marcy is the cashier.

The first newspaper established at Cambridge was the "Index." a small sixteen-page monthly, commenced by A. W. Howe in 1869. It succeeded in winning the favor of the public, and was gradually enlarged and became a well established weekly. Upon the death of Mr. Howe, in 1872, the paper was purchased by D. P. Robbins, who continued it under the same name, and largely increased its circulation. In 1877 it was sold to F. H. and George O. Morgan, who removed it to Meadville. Realizing that a town like Cambridge required a newspaper of its own, W. L. Perry, immediately following the removal of the "Index," issued the first number of the "Cambridge News." It was well received, and he continued as its publisher and editor until 1883, when he transferred it to Moses & Wade. It is now owned 3nd edited by the Eckles Bros., and is a bright, newsy, eight-page weekly, issued every Thursday. The "Cambridge Springs News" is Republican in politics, and has a highly creditable circulation. The Cambridge Springs "Enterprise" is a younger newspaper venture, which has secured a good circulation in Cambridge Springs and vicinity. It is Republican in politics, and is edited by Moses & Lamb.

A Conservatory of Music was established in 1883 by Professor E. P. Russell. Its course included vocal and instrumental music, elocution, drawing and painting. It had a faculty of six instructors, and during the first term sixty-eight pupils were in attendance. The institution attained marked success, but was discontinued after a brief existence.

About ten years ago it was discovered that a spring of water on the property of Dr. Gray was possessed of remarkable medicinal qualities, and as its properties were made known and the fame of its cures spread abroad, Cambridge became the resort of many who wished to benefit by its curative powers. To accommodate them a fine large hotel, constructed and furnished especially for use as a health resort, was erected near the banks of the creek, and within a few minutes' walk of the Gray Mineral Springs. Visitors from every direction who came here found Cambridge an ideal place for rest and recreation, and their numbers so increased in a few years that it was found necessary to build other hotels for their accommodation. Among these the Cambridge House, the Hotel de Vita, the Highland Hotel, Shady Lawn Hotel and the American House are the more prominent, and these, with numerous boarding houses, are taxed to their utmost each summer to accommodate the hundreds of guests who come from all quarters in search of health and pleasure.

The popularity of Cambridge Springs as a health resort increases from year to year, and among its visitors are many who, from their wealth and position, are well known throughout the nation. In order to provide a fit place of entertainment for guests of this class, W. D. Rider conceived the idea of erecting, on a hill overlooking the village and surrounding valley, an hotel of such size and appointments as would equal in magnificence and comfort any similar establishment on this side of the Atlantic. It was commenced in the summer of 1895, and large forces of workmen were kept constantly employed during the next two years. It was finished and opened to the public in August, 1897, and its tasteful appointments, convenient arrangement and thorough service entitle it to the rank claimed for it by its builders. The Hotel Rider, as it is called, is five stories in height, and from its windows are seen, some of the finest views in the picturesque French Creek Valley. It is of pressed brick, with cut-stone trimmings, and, standing as it does on an eminence above the town, presents an imposing appearance. There are five acres of floor room in the hotel, and in addition to the numerous parlors, offices and sleeping apartments, two large dining-rooms, a well equipped ball-room, a theater with a seating capacity of four hundred, swimming pools, a billiard room and bowling alley provide inexhaustible indoor amusement for the guests of the hotel.

In April, 1897, a fire broke out in a building near the center of the town and soon spread through the business portion. The village was possessed of no protection against fire, and both sides of Main Street as far as the railroad were soon in flames, and the entire business section, together with several houses, was completely consumed. One life was lost, A. W. Hays being caught under a falling wall and burned to death before he could be extricated. Fire companies arrived from Meadville, Union City and Corry, and with the aid of portable engines succeeded in saving most of the residence portion of the village. Many fine business blocks were burned, among them the Cambridge House, a commodious and well furnished hotel erected but a few years before.

But, Phcenix-like, Cambridge rose from her ashes, larger and more beautiful than before. On the site of the former buildings, many of which were of wood, large brick business blocks have been erected, of a uniformity of size and construction, which gives Main Street an urban appearance not often seen in a village of similar size. Among these are the New Cambridge House, Masonic Building, and the Kelly, Graves, Root, Fellows, Palmer and McDaniela blocks. These buildings are occupied by progressive and enterprising business men, and their stores are well stocked and furnished with a greater variety of goods than is usually found in places of its size. The village occupies both banks of French Creek, which are connected by two bridges, one a suspension bridge and the other of iron. The development of the mineral springs and the building of the large hotels have been sources of prosperity to Cambridge Springs, and have increased not only the population but the value of property. New streets have been opened and many fine residences built within the past five years. The population during the summer months is estimated at two thousand.

The first schoolhouse in the borough was on Main Street, on the A. B. Ross plot, opposite the present location of the New Cambridge House. It was a small frame building, but one story in height. It was lighted by six small windows placed in the roof, this novel arrangement being adopted in order to withdraw from the pupil the temptation to gaze upon external nature, thus promoting application to study. Among the early teachers in this unique structure were S. R. Jackson, Mr. Lowry, Ezra Jones and Polly Reader. In 1838 it was replaced by a frame building on a lot adjoining the property of the Methodist Church. It was in turn succeeded, in 1855, by a two-story frame building erected on Venango Avenue. This continued in use until 1875, when the present schoolhouse was erected upon the same lot. It is a handsome, commodious building, and its various departments are now filled to their utmost capacity.

In 1896 there were six schools in Cambridge Springs, and the school year was eight months long. There were three hundred and thirty-four pupils in attendance, of whom one hundred and forty-eight were boys. The average cost for each scholar per month was $1.41. During the year more than eighteen hundred dollars was raised by taxation in the borough for the support of the schools, and the total expenditure for educational purposes, including the amount received from the State appropriation, exceeded three thousand dollars.

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Cambridge Springs was organized about 1828, and the first meetings were held in the schoolhouse and in John W. McFadden's old distillery, which occupied the present site of the Congregational Church. Christian Blystone, Eleazer Rockwell, Stephen Mory, Bernard and Rebecca Rockwell, and John M. McFadden were prominent among the early members of the society. In 1832 a church building was erected on East Church Street, on the site of the present church, and was the first religious edifice built in Cambridge. In 1865 it was replaced by the building which is still in use. Cambridge Circuit was organized in 1831, and continued until 1844. It then became part of the Rockville Circuit, but in 1855 the Cambridge Circuit was temporarily restored. It was permanently established in 1878, and included besides the Cambridge society those of Venango and Skelton, in Venango Township. The church building has been remodeled recently, and a large congregation now worships there. Rev. J. C. Skelton is the present pastor.

The Baptist Church of Cambridge Springs was originally the Lebanon Baptist Church, which was organized in Rockdale Township on October 31, 1812, by Revs. William West and Thomas Rigdon. There were twelve original members, and a church building was erected in Rockdale Township, where services were held for some time. But as a majority of the members lived in and about Cambridge, the society was removed there, and in 1835 a place of worship was built on Venango Avenue. This was used until 1865, when a third church edifice was erected on Main Street, during the pastorate of Rev. M. Thomas. Its cost was $6,000, and it was capable of seating three hundred and eighty persons. A new lecture-room and parlors have since been added to the property, and a large and flourishing membership now maintains worship here. The first pastor was Rev. George Miller, and Rev. L. B. Underwood is now in charge.

From the minutes of the "Forty-ninth Annual Session of the French Creek Baptist Association" we learn that the members of the Cambridge Church at its organization were George Miller, Alex. Anderson, Isaac Kelley, John Langley, James Anderson, Sally Clark, Barbar Miller, Hannah Kelley, Elizabeth Daniel, Christiana Miller and Lydia Anderson: and the following extract indicates the discipline of the early church: "In the early history of the church every member was required to attend every meeting: if any one but once failed to do so he was required to give an excuse: if he failed twice he was visited by brethren appointed by the church, who reported at the next meeting. Brethren appointed on any committee were required faithfully to perform their duty: if any one committed a misdemeanor which came to the knowledge of the church, some judicious brother was appointed to admonish him. A yearly meeting was held which all were expected and were glad to attend, and which was even attended by members of sister churches, commencing Saturday P. M. and continuing over the Sabbath. Their greetings on these occasions were hearty. Their evening meetings often extended far into the night. When they voted to hold a special or protracted meeting, they gave themselves to prayer and fasting, arranged their business so that all could attend from the first, and gave word to their friends near and far. Neighboring pastors would attend. These meetings were short, but frequently from the first sinners would ask for the prayers of Christians."

A Congregational society was organized in Cambridge about 1850, and a church building erected. In 1852 there was a division among the members, and two organizations were formed, a Presbyterian and a Congregational Church. By mutual agreement the Presbyterians retained the building already erected, and the Congregational society at once built a church on the southwest corner of Church and Prospect Streets, which they still occupy. The church was organized April 21, 1852, the six original members being A. B. Ross, D. O. Wing, Mrs. Maria T. Fullerton, Mrs. Harriet R. Ross, Miss. Rebecca Rockwell and Mrs. Jane Wing. Rev. L. L. Radcliffe was the first minister, and remained several years. The membership is small, and there is no pastor at present. The First Presbyterian Church of Cambridge Springs was organized in 1S52 by Revs. E. W. Beebe, Craighead and Kerr. As stated above, they retained possession of the church on the north side of Church Street, which had been erected by the old Congregational society, from which both the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches originated. The first pastor was Rev. G. W. Hampson, who was succeeded by Rev. William A. McCarrel. In 1875 Rev. William Grassie became the pastor, which position he still retains. In 1895 a handsome new church building was erected on Main Street at a cost of $13,000. It is of pressed brick, trimmed with cut stone, and contains, in addition to the main room, a chapel, parlors and dining-room. The church membership numbers about one hundred, and is in a very flourishing condition.

A German Lutheran Church was formed in Cambridge about 1869. It was a division from the congregation at Drake's Mills, and maintained services many years, although there was no regular place of meeting. In 1882 the difficulties were adjusted and it again united with the Drake's Mills Church.

A Universalist Church was organized many years ago north of French Creek and a frame church built. It flourished for some time, then becamc too weak to maintain services, and went out of existence. In 1875 it was reorganized and services were once more established, but in 1881 they were again discontinued, and have never been resumed.

In 1897 a Catholic congregation was organized at Cambridge Springs under the ministrations of Rev. Father James J. Dunn, of Meadville. The meetings are held in a house on McLallen Street, no regular place of worship having yet been erected.