Claim: The Cambridge Center for Adult Education began as the Cambridge Social Union in 1871, which taught adults literacy and other general classes.
Evidence: The Cambridge Social Union (CSU), founded in 1871 and formally incorporated in 1876, taught classes for adults in the former Brattle house which it had moved into in 1889 after purchasing it. The courses included literacy classes and general classes taught by Harvard College and Radcliffe College students and faculty.