National Park Service Longfellow House U.S. Department of the Interior National Historic Site Washington’s Headquarters Massachusetts 1759 The House through the Years Left: portrait by C.G. Thompson, 1840. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow occupies house until 1774. M aj. John Vassall Jr. Vassall family The Long
Built inGeorgian style for fellow House today.
H mander the of Continental Army. Gen.Georgeof Washington, com- 1775–76 siege command the of fledgling Continental Army, which was laying In July 1775Gen.George Washington arrived inCambridge to take in fleeing the insurgency preceding the American Revolution. Vassalls the 1774, In relatives. and joined theirfriends, neighbors stood among other magni Vassall, asugar plantation owner and future loyalist. The house mansion overlooking the Charles River was built in1759for John well-acquainted with its illustrious history. The Georgian-style the 105Brattle owners of Street inCambridge, they were already In 1843,when Longfellow and hisbride Fanny Appleton became the treasures many of nations. literature, and the endeavors by one family to preserve and share fight for independence, the efforts to create a national identity through and soldiers, politicians and poets.Its story encompasses America’s home,family but it was also acelebrated gathering place for singers shape and substance to our world. For two centuries this was a Longfellow House, we would seemen and women who have given The Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House bought the house in1791,setabout increasing its grandeur and Andrew Craigie, the Continental Army’s first Apothecary General, March 1776. and celebrated the evacuation the of British army from Boston in dignitaries and fellow patriots, plotted strategy with hisgenerals, welcomed hiswife Martha to their first home,wartime received cally located Vassall house ashisheadquarters. to British-occupied Boston. He chose the large and strategi-
Home and headquarters If weIf could summon the ghosts the of Vassall-Craigie- wherein men have lived and died are haunted houses. ..” Wadsworthenry Longfellow once wrote that “all houses ficent es tates belonging to fellow elites, dies in1819. an 1791–1819 d Elizabeth Craigie. Andrew
Estate Andrewof Her e Washington
Longfellow boards here, 1837-43. rents out extra rooms; Henry W. 1819–41 room by both Martha Washington and Fanny Longfellow. The parlor isthe most elegant room inthe house and was usedasadrawing stimulating environment Cambridge. of Henry lefthisteaching to the couple asawedding gift. The Longfellows thrived inthe Appleton, awealthy textile manufacturer, presented Castle Craigie In July 1843Longfellow married Fanny Appleton. Her father Nathan center, this time for Longfellow’s circle friends of and colleagues. bers,” he marveled to afriend. The house again became asocial two rooms in1837.“They were once George Washington’s cham- a young Harvard professor and up-and-coming poet,began renting boarders after her husband’s death. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, investments plunged them into debt, leaving Elizabeth to take in size, and married Elizabeth Shaw in1793.Lavish living and failed
Widow Elizabeth Craigie dies in1861; Henry in1882. Fanny Longfellow and family. Fanny 1843–1882
Home Henry and of and to meet the people whose indelible spirits remain. in1972. WeService invite you to explore this extraordinary house open it to the public. The site was donated to the National Park Henry andof Fanny Longfellow to preserve their family home and In 1913the Longfellow House Trust was established by the children personal interests, and intellectual pursuits. filled their days with learning and their home with evidence travels, of Edith, and Anne—cherished their tangible piece of history. They lives the Longfellows and their five children—Charles, Ernest, Alice, ture who shared inher husband’s many activities. Throughout their “Lady Washington’s Arrival at Headquarters, Cambridge” by Howard Pyle, 1896. F position at Harvard to devote full time to writing and scholarship. fellow and other family members. occupied by daughter Alice Long 1882–1950 anny was agracious hostess and perceptive critic and art litera- of
House continues to be Encircled with aburningbelt. The fires of the besieging camp And yondermeadows broad anddamp The Father ofhis Country, dwelt. One whommemoryoftrecalls, Once, ah,once, within these walls, —from To aChildby Henry W. Longfellow, 1845 memorial to Henry W. Longfellow. family property asapublic park and 1883
Longfellow Park created on COURTESY BOSTONPUBLICLIBRARYCOURTESY E Washington’s Home and Headquarters 1913 House opensto public inthe 1920s. es when visitors came to hisdoor and lacked many items. necessary no tents, blankets, or gunpowder 20,000 officers and militiamen had and inexperienced army nearly of bleak prospect. The mostly young set uphisheadquarters, he faced a When he arrived inCambridge to shots the of Revolution were fired. in July 1775,shortly after the first mand the of Continental Army George Washington took com- the beginnings the of new nation. to freedom from Great Britain and made here would ultimately lead house. De in the legendary status his of quarters.” Longfellow took pride asking to see“Washington’s Head James Peale, ca.1787–1790. George Washington portrait by tablished by surviving children. Longfellow never felt slighted ven at the height hisfame, of
LongfellowHouse Trust cisi ons and alliances
P to include Washington. 1972 an They faced smallpox, dysentery, support for the commander. confidant, and source emotional of men and acted asatrusted advisor, she provided inspiration to the a precedent for the rest the of war, quarters into ahome. Establishing joined her intransforming head servants from Mount Vernon daughter-in-law, and enslaved while inPhiladelphia. Her son, Virginia and apolitical controversy after amonth-long journey from headquarters 1775, inDecember Martha Washington arrived at verse from her. after Washington received inspiring Phillis Wheatley was invited to visit Celebrated Africanpoet American severalof American Indian tribes. Benedict Arnold, and the chiefs Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, friends and dignitaries including busy consulting with along list of low’s study. Washington was also room that later became Longfel- course and met frequently inthe determined to get matters on Washin gton and hisofficers were shoulder and entered the ranks.” I had taken my musket upon my happier Ishould have . beenif “I have often thought how much in sleep,” Washington wrote. when all around me are wrapped produces many anunhappy hour situation and that my of army winter. “The reflection on my ark System; 2011name changes d New England’s bitterly cold
Site included inNational ALL IMAGES—NPS UNLESS OTHERWISE CREDITED ALL IMAGES—NPSUNLESSOTHERWISE
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Poet and Scholar The World Within This House Planning Your Visit
The house is open seasonally for and pursuits—furniture, books, All that is best in the enry Wadsworth Longfellow England and was honored in Po monumental task of translating enry and Fanny Longfellow’s We have decided to let guided tours. The grounds are artwork, ceramics, textiles, and H achieved much in his long life, ets’ Corner of Westminster Abbey. Dante’s Divine Comedy. He found Hcosmopolitan and hospitable open dawn to dusk year-round. archives—are displayed or great poets of all countries but he was first and foremost a writer. Com po s ers Franz Liszt and Felix consolation in this epic tale of salva style made their home a vibrant Father purchase this Special events and activities are stored inside the house. is not what is national “I most eagerly aspire after future Men dels sohn set his works to music. tion and enduring love. With friends place. They enjoyed formal meals grand old mansion if he offered throughout the year. eminence in literature,” he told his and colleagues he founded the with friends and family, good con Call or visit the park website for Grounds The two-acre grounds father in 1824, “my whole soul burns As a teacher and scholar Longfellow Dante Club, which met Wednesday versation, and the occasional musical current hours of operation and are the core of the much larger in them, but what is will . . . how noble an in- program listings. Tour tickets 1759 estate. Many Colonial-era most ardently for it. . . .” Longfellow was familiar with heroic themes in evenings in his study for conversation performance in the library. Henry’s universal. heritance this is where and publications are available features are still evident. went on to be one of America’s most classical literature. His own charac and supper. growing fame brought a widening in the house visitor center.
—Henry W. Longfellow, 1849 celebrated poets, offering the young ters and stories in epic poems like range of visitors to his door, from Washington dwelt in Carriage House Longfellow nation heroes and stories of mythic “Evange line” and “The Song of Hia “I should have to think long if I were perfect strangers to the famous— Getting to the Park The park had this structure built in 1844. shape and dimension. watha” were larger than life and have ask’d to name the man who has done and infamous. every room. is within walking distance of Carriages, sleighs, and some- been thoroughly absorbed in Amer more . . . for America,” said poet Walt Harvard Square, which has times horses were kept inside. —Fanny Appleton Longfellow to parking garages. No on-site Today it is used as a meeting Longfellow was born in 1807 in ican culture. In “Paul Revere’s Ride” Whitman after learning of Longfel Notable guests included writers Thomas Gold Appleton, 1843 parking is available other than space for education programs, Portland, Maine, the second son of the poet turns a virtually unknown low’s death in 1882. It was a fitting Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Henry and Fanny Longfellow and designated accessible spaces. public lectures, and workshops. Landscape architects Martha Brookes a prominent lawyer and grandson Boston silversmith into an icon on tribute to the man who moved the Emerson, Anthony Trollope, and Metered parking spaces may sons Charles and Ernest, ca. 1849 Hutcheson and Ellen Biddle Shipman of Gen. Peleg Wadsworth, a hero par with the founding fathers. After world with words and spoke the lan Julia Ward Howe. At breakfast one be available nearby. Take public For Inquiring Minds The house renovated the formal garden with its of the American Revolution. After his wife’s death in a household fire guage of his country’s heart and morning was Charles Dickens, here transportation if you can. and its contents, the grounds, pergola in the early 1900s. graduating from Bowdoin College in 1861, Longfellow took on the history. on his first trip to the United States. and the archives together tell Public Transportation Via the the story of the Vassall-Craigie- he traveled in Europe immersing Teacher and scientist Louis Agassiz MBTA Subway, take the Red Line Longfellow House. Researchers More Information himself in its languages, literature, All are architects of Fate, came often to visit, and Emperor William Dean Howells—editors of ments of the Longfellow family to Harvard Square. Exit station are encouraged to contact the Longfellow House-Washington’s and history. “To my youthful imagi Working in these walls of Time; Dom Pedro II of Brazil met both the durable Atlantic Monthly found bring these stories to life. Alto on Church Street and follow site for information or to Headquarters nation,” he said, “the Old World Longfellow and Emerson here while ed in 1857 as a platform for public gether there are 35,000 items of Church Street to Brattle Street. schedule an appointment. National Historic Site was a kind of Holy Land.” A speaker Some with massive deeds and great, traveling in New England. Singers, opinion. furnishing and decorative arts, a Turn right onto Brattle Street 105 Brattle St. of eight languages, Henry spent his actors, and musicians made a pil fine arts collection of paint and go past Mason Street. The Cambridge, MA 02138 Some with ornaments of rhyme. house is on your right. 617-876-4491 grimage to Cambridge, among them Guests sooner or later found early career teaching language and —from “The Builders” by Henry W. Longfellow, 1849 ings and sculpture by www.nps.gov/long literature at Bowdoin and Harvard the “Swedish Nightingale” Jenny themselves immersed in family American and European Accessibility Limited parking is colleges. In 1839 his first collection Lind and stage actress Fanny Kem life. With five children, a large artists, a 14,000-volume available for visitors with disabil- Longfellow House-Washington’s of poetry was published. The pop ble. One of Henry’s last visitors was staff of servants, and numerous library, and 775,000 ar ities. The grounds, carriage Headquarters National Historic ular Voices of the Night included “A playwright Oscar Wilde. “Longfel pets, the Longfellow home chival items, including house, visitor center, and first Site is one of over 400 parks in Psalm of Life” reprinted in news low was himself a beautiful poem,” was far more than a shrine photographs, journals, floor of the Longfellow House the National Park System. To are wheelchair-accessible. learn more about parks and papers across America. recalled the flamboyant Irishman. to the past or scholarly and original documents Service animals are welcome. National Park Service programs ivory tower. Henry and written by George Wash- in America’s communities, visit Henry’s congenial marriage and Born in the wake of the American Fanny’s children were full ington, Abraham Lincoln, ✩GPO:2017—398-407/30927 Last updated 2017 We strive to make our facilities, Printed on recycled paper. www.nps.gov. social life in Cambridge allowed his Revolution, Longfellow witnessed participants in the world and others. services, and programs accessible creativity to flourish. He retired from the momentous events of the 1800s: within the house—and to all. For information go to a teaching in 1854 to devote himself westward expansion, the social grew up to embrace the Daughter Alice Longfellow lived in visitor center, ask a ranger, call, or check our website. fully to writing and was soon enor and political turmoil surrounding world at large. the house until her death in 1928 and mously successful. Longfellow was slavery, and the Civil War. These carried on her family’s interests in Safety Watch out for traffic. the nation’s first professional poet were subjects for his poetry and The Legacy Endures history and education. Under her For firearms regulations see the and gained an international repu conversation. Over the years, the furnishings stewardship the house and its fur park website. The reverse logo is centered in the tation. His poetry collections were of the house came to match its nishings were preserved for future rulled box above. Place in the frame translated into dozens of languages Charles Sumner, the fiery abolition splendid history. Every generations to enjoy. The formal House Built in 1759, this premier example of mid-Georgian soarchi- the rule is not visible. and became instant bestsellers at ist and legislator, was a frequent painting, photograph, garden became known as a work tecture, with its preserved view home and abroad—enjoyed by labor guest and fanned the flames of book, artifact, and piece of landscape architecture in the of the Charles River, is consid- ers and scholars alike. Longfellow Henry’s antislavery beliefs. Other of furniture seems to tell colonial revival style. ered the best of the remaining
received honorary degrees from Ox BOHL NPS / DAVID members of this influential circle its own distinctive story— ”Tory Row” (as it was known) Longfellow in his study, ca. 1876 ford and Cambridge universities in The spacious library held musical performances and other social gatherings. were James Russell Lowell and and the diaries and docu Bronze copy of “Mercury” statue mansions on Brattle Street. by Giovanni de Bologna, ca. 1850 Items reflecting the Long fellow family’s wide-ranging interests