Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters

H National Historic Site Massachusetts National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior The Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House Washington’s Home and Headquarters enry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote that “all houses size, and married Elizabeth Shaw in 1793. Lavish living and failed wherein men have lived and died are haunted houses. . . .” investments plunged them into debt, leaving Elizabeth to take in If we could summon the ghosts of the Vassall-Craigie-­ boarders after her husband’s death. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Longfellow House, we would see men and women who have given a young Harvard professor and up-and-coming poet, began renting shape and substance to our world. For two centuries this was a two rooms in 1837. “They were once George Washington’s cham- family home, but it was also a celebrated gathering place for singers bers,” he marveled to a friend. The house again became a social and soldiers, politicians and poets. Its story encompasses America’s center, this time for Longfellow’s circle of friends and colleagues. ven at the height of his fame, Longfellow never felt slighted when visitors came to his door asking to see “Washington’s Head­­­ quarters.” Longfellow took pride in the legendary status of his house. De­cisions and alliances made here would ultimately lead to freedom from Great Britain and the beginnings of the new nation. fight for independence, the efforts to create a national identity through literature, and the endeavors by one family to preserve and share In July 1843 Longfellow married Fanny Appleton. Her father Nathan the treasures of many nations. Appleton, a wealthy textile manufacturer, presented Castle Craigie to the couple as a wedding gift. The Longfellows thrived in the Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters E In 1843, when Longfellow and his bride Fanny Appleton became Henry Wadsworth Longfellow portrait by C.G. Thompson, 1840. Left: The Long­fellow House today. stimulating environment of Cambridge. Henry left his teaching COURTESY BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY “Lady Washington’s Arrival at Headquarters, Cambridge” by Howard Pyle, 1896. position at Harvard to devote full time to writing and scholarship. Fanny was a gracious hostess and perceptive critic of art and litera- the owners of 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge, they were already ture who shared in her husband’s many activities. Throughout their well-acquainted with its illustrious history. The Georgian-style lives the Longfellows and their five children—Charles, Ernest, Alice, mansion overlooking the Charles River was built in 1759 for John Edith, and Anne—cherished their piece of tangible history. They Vassall, a sugar plantation owner and future loyalist. The house filled their days with learning and their home with evidence of travels, stood among other magni­ficent estates belonging to fellow elites, personal interests, and intellectual pursuits. George Washington took command of the Continental Army in July 1775, shortly after the first shots of the Revolution were fired. When he arrived in Cambridge to set up his headquarters, he faced a bleak prospect. The mostly young and inexperienced army of nearly 20,000 officers and militiamen had no tents, blankets, or gunpowder and lacked many necessary items. friends, and relatives. In 1774, the Vassalls joined their neighbors in fleeing the insurgency preceding the American Revolution. In 1913 the Longfellow House Trust was established by the children of Henry and Fanny Longfellow to preserve their family home and In July 1775 Gen. George Washington arrived in Cambridge to take open it to the public. The site was donated to the National Park command of the fledgling Continental Army, which was laying Service in 1972. We invite you to explore this extraordinary house siege to British-occupied Boston. He chose the large and strategi- and to meet the people whose indelible spirits remain. cally located Vassall house as his headquarters. ­Here Washington welcomed his wife Martha to their first wartime home, received dignitaries and fellow patriots, plotted strategy with his generals, and celebrated the evacuation of the British army from Boston in March 1776. Andrew Craigie, the Continental Army’s first Apothecary General, bought the house in 1791, set about increasing its grandeur and The parlor is the most elegant room in the house and was used as a drawing room by both Martha Washington and Fanny Longfellow. Once, ah, once, within these walls, One whom memory oft recalls, The Father of his Country, dwelt. And yonder meadows broad and damp The fires of the besieging camp Encircled with a burning belt. —from To a Child by Henry W. Longfellow, 1845 George Washington portrait by James Peale, ca. 1787–1790. The House through the Years They faced smallpox, dysentery, and New England’s bitterly cold winter. “The reflection on my situation and that of my army produces many an unhappy hour when all around me are wrapped in sleep,” Washington wrote. “I have often thought how much happier I should have been if . . . I had taken my musket upon my shoulder and entered the ranks.” Washington and his officers were determined to get matters on course and met frequently in the room that later became Longfellow’s study. Washington was also busy consulting with a long list of friends and dignitaries including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Benedict Arnold, and the chiefs of several American Indian tribes. Celebrated African American poet Phillis Wheatley was invited to visit after Washington received inspiring verse from her. Martha Washington arrived at headquarters in December 1775, after a month-long journey from Virginia and a political controversy while in Philadelphia. Her son, daughter-in-law, and enslaved servants from Mount Vernon joined her in transforming headquarters into a home. Establishing a precedent for the rest of the war, she provided inspiration to the men and acted as a trusted advisor, confidant, and source of emotional support for the commander. ALL IMAGES—NPS UNLESS OTHERWISE CREDITED 1759 Built in Georgian style for 1775–76 Home and headquarters Maj. John Vassall Jr. Vassall family occupies house until 1774. of Gen. George Washington, commander of the Continental Army. 1791–1819 Estate of Andrew and Elizabeth Craigie. Andrew dies in 1819. 1819–41 Widow Elizabeth Craigie rents out extra rooms; Henry W. Longfellow boards here, 1837-43. 1843–1882 Home of Henry and Fanny Longfellow and family. Fanny dies in 1861; Henry in 1882. 1882–1950 House continues to be 1883 Longfellow Park created on occupied by daughter Alice Long­ fellow and other family members. family property as a public park and memorial to Henry W. Longfellow. 1972 Site included in National Park System; 2011 name changes established by surviving children. House opens to public in the 1920s. to include Washington. 1913 Longfellow House Trust The World Within This House Planning Your Visit H H The house is open seasonally for guided tours. The grounds are open dawn to dusk year-round. Special events and activities are offered throughout the year. Call or visit the park website for current hours of operation and program listings. Tour tickets and publications are available in the house visitor center. enry Wadsworth Longfellow achieved much in his long life, but he was first and foremost a writer. “I most eagerly aspire after future eminence in literature,” he told his father in 1824, “my whole soul burns most ardently for it. . . .” Longfellow went on to be one of America’s most celebrated poets, offering the young nation heroes and stories of mythic shape and dimension. great poets of all countries is not what is national in them, but what is universal. —Henry W. Longfellow, 1849 Longfellow was born in 1807 in Portland, Maine, the second son of a prominent law­yer and grandson of Gen. Peleg Wadsworth, a hero of the American Revolution. After graduating from Bowdoin College he traveled in Europe immersing himself in its languages, literature, and history. “To my youthful imagi­ nation,” he said, “the Old World was a kind of Holy Land.” A speaker of eight languages, Henry spent his early career teaching language and literature at Bowdoin and Harvard colleges. In 1839 his first collection of poetry was published. The pop­ ular Voices of the Night included “A Psalm of Life” reprinted in news­ papers across America. Longfellow in his study, ca. 1876 Henry’s congenial marriage and social life in Cambridge allowed his creativity to flourish. He retired from teaching in 1854 to devote himself fully to writing and was soon enor­ mously successful. Longfellow was the nation’s first professional poet and gained an international repu­ tation. His poetry collections were translated into dozens of languages and became instant bestsellers at home and abroad—enjoyed by labor­ ers and scholars alike. Longfellow received honorary degrees from Ox­ ford and Cambridge universities in England and was honored in Po­ ets’ Corner of Westminster Abbey. Composers Franz Liszt and Felix Mendelssohn set his works to music. As a teacher and scholar Longfellow was familiar with heroic themes in classical literature. His own charac­ ters and stories in epic poems like “Evangeline” and “The Song of Hia­ watha” were larger than life and have been thoroughly absorbed in Amer­ ican culture. In “Paul Revere’s Ride” the poet turns a virtually unknown Boston silversmith into an icon on par with the founding fathers. After his wife’s death in a household fire in 1861, Longfellow took on the monumental task of translating Dante’s Divine Comedy. He found consolation in this epic tale of salva­ tion and enduring love. With friends and colleagues he founded the Dante Club, which met Wednesday evenings in his study for conversation and supper. “I should have to think long if I were ask’d to name the man who has done more . . . for America,” said poet Walt Whitman after learning of Longfel­ low’s death in 1882. It was a fitting tribute to the man who moved the world with words and spoke the lan­ guage of his country’s heart and history. All are architects of Fate, Working in these walls of Time; Some with massive deeds and great, Some with ornaments of rhyme. —from “The Builders” by Henry W. Longfellow, 1849 enry and Fanny Longfellow’s cosmopolitan and hospitable style made their home a vibrant place. They enjoyed formal meals with friends and family, good con­ versation, and the occasional musical performance in the library. Henry’s growing fame brought a widening range of visitors to his door, from perfect strangers to the famous— and infamous. Notable guests included writers Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Anthony Trollope, and Julia Ward Howe. At breakfast one morning was Charles Dickens, here on his first trip to the United States. Teacher and scientist Louis Agassiz came often to visit, and Emperor Dom Pedro II of Brazil met both Longfellow and Emerson here while traveling in New England. Singers, actors, and musicians made a pil­ grimage to Cambridge, among them the “Swedish Nightingale” Jenny Lind and stage actress Fanny Kem­ ble. One of Henry’s last visitors was playwright Oscar Wilde. “Longfel­ low was himself a beautiful poem,” recalled the flamboyant Irishman. Born in the wake of the American Revolution, Longfellow witnessed the momentous events of the 1800s: westward expansion, the social and political turmoil surrounding slavery, and the Civil War. These were subjects for his poetry and conversation. NPS / DAVID BOHL All that is best in the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Poet and Scholar The spacious library held musical performances and other social gatherings. Charles Sumner, the fiery abolition­ ist and legislator, was a frequent guest and fanned the flames of Henry’s anti­slavery beliefs. Other members of this influential circle were James Russell Lowell and We have decided to let Father purchase this grand old mansion if he will . . . how noble an inheritance this is where Washington dwelt in every room. —Fanny Appleton Longfellow to Thomas Gold Appleton, 1843 Henry and Fanny Longfellow and sons Charles and Ernest, ca. 1849 William Dean Howells—editors of the durable Atlantic Monthly found­ ed in 1857 as a platform for public opinion. Guests sooner or later found themselves immersed in family life. With five children, a large staff of servants, and numerous pets, the Long­fellow home was far more than a shrine to the past or scholarly ivory tower. Henry and Fanny’s children were full participants in the world within the house—and grew up to embrace the world at large. The Legacy Endures Over the years, the furnishings of the house came to match its splendid history. Every painting, photograph, book, artifact, and piece of furniture seems to tell its own distinctive story— and the diaries and docu­ ments of the Longfellow family bring these stories to life. Alto­ gether there are 35,000 items of furnishing and decorative arts, a fine arts collection of paint­ ings and sculpture by American and European artists, a 14,000-­volume library, and 775,000 ar­ chival items, including photographs, journals, and original docu­ments written by George Washing­ton, Abra­ham Lincoln, and others. Daughter Alice Longfellow lived in the house until her death in 1928 and carried on her family’s interests in history and education. Under her stewardship the house and its fur­ nishings were preserved for future generations to enjoy. The formal garden became known as a work of landscape architecture in the colonial revival style. Bronze copy of “Mercury” statue by Giovanni de Bologna, ca. 1850 Getting to the Park The park is within walking distance of Harvard Square, which has parking garages. No on-site parking is available other than designated accessible spaces. Metered parking spaces may be available nearby. Take public transportation if you can. Public Transportation Via the MBTA Subway, take the Red Line to Harvard Square. Exit station on Church Street and follow Church Street to Brattle Street. Turn right onto Brattle Street and go past Mason Street. The house is on your right. and pursuits—furniture, books, artwork, ceramics, textiles, and archives—are displayed or stored inside the house. Grounds The two-acre grounds are the core of the much larger 1759 estate. Many Colonial-era features are still evident. Carriage House Longfellow had this structure built in 1844. Carriages, sleighs, and sometimes horses were kept inside. Today it is used as a meeting space for education programs, public lectures, and workshops. For Inquiring Minds The house and its contents, the grounds, and the ar­chives together tell the story of the Vassall-CraigieLong­fellow House. Researchers are encouraged to contact the site for information or to schedule an appointment. Accessibility Limited parking is available for visitors with disabilities. The grounds, carriage house, visitor center, and first floor of the Longfellow House are wheelchair-accessible. Service animals are welcome. We strive to make our facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. For information go to a visitor center, ask a ranger, call, or check our website. ✩GPO:2017—398-407/30927 Last updated 2017 Printed on recycled paper. Safety Watch out for traffic. For firearms regulations see the park website. The reverse logo is centered in the rulled box above. Place in the frame House Built in 1759, this premier example of mid-Georgian so archithe rule is not visible. tecture, with its preserved view of the Charles River, is considered the best of the remaining ”Tory Row” (as it was known) mansions on Brattle Street. Items reflecting the Longfellow family’s wide-ranging interests Landscape architects Martha Brookes Hutcheson and Ellen Biddle Shipman renovated the formal garden with its pergola in the early 1900s. More Information Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site 105 Brattle St. Cambridge, MA 02138 617-876-4491 www.nps.gov/long Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site is one of over 400 parks in the National Park System. To learn more about parks and National Park Service programs in America’s communities, visit www.nps.gov.