Anthony Sammarco, noted author of more than sixty books on Boston and surrounding cities and towns, will outline in an illustrated slide lecture the history of this dynamic and ever evolving neighborhood of Boston. The presentation will take place at the Brighton Branch of the Boston Public Library, 40 Academy Hill Road in Brighton. Free admission.

Originally known as Little Cambridge, Allston-Brighton remained largely a rural farming area for almost two centuries after the Massachusetts Bay Colony was settled in 1630 by the Puritans. Agitation in the early nineteenth century led to the creation of the Town of Brighton. Throughout the 19th century, Brighton thrived with not only the stock yards where cattle was king, but also numerous nurseries, among them that of Joseph Breck, founder of the Breck Seed Company. That evening, Amy Ryan, president of the Boston Public Library, will announce the Bonifazio and Angela Cocuzzo Cedrone Fund, which Mr. Sammarco created to honor longtime Brighton residents and the late parents of his partner Joe Cedrone. The Cedrone Fund will benefit the Brighton Branch, Boston Public Library.