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A Guide to visiting Longfellow House, MA (Washington’s Headquarters)

by Lisa Stentvedt
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The first recommendation I make to anyone who asks for things to do near Boston is to visit the Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters (and do the tour). It’s free, packed full of American history, and easily accessible by train (affectionately called “the T” by Bostonians, our subway system is marked with… you guessed it… giant letter Ts. In the theme of history, the T is also the oldest underground train system in America, but I digress). 

Situated just a short walk from Harvard station, the Longfellow House contains 260 years of history from not only the Longfellow Family but of loyalists who fled back to England during the revolution and of George Washington with his commanding army.

If these reasons don’t spark your interest I’ll also tell you that the house is (probably) haunted. Spooky! 

This is an in-depth guide to visiting Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters and I’ll have you agree with my humble opinion that it is one of the coolest activities outside of Boston by the end of it.

Another cool activity within easy reach of Boston is heading to Salem for a witch tour!

longfellow house, washington headquarters, exterior on a sunny day
Keep reading for a local’s guide to visiting Longfellow House!

A Longfellow House Guide from a VIP

Hello hi. Glad you are still here. You might be wondering who I am and why I’m not Lisa.

My name is Alexandria and I’ve lived in the greater Boston area for the past few years. Lisa and I know each other from our time working as Cast Members in Disney World (her, the cultural representative program; me, the college program). My roommate at the time was also a Norwegian cultural representative and worked with Lisa, who showed up at my apartment for a welcome get-together and, by her accent at the time, I mistook her for British. Lisa says Florida ruined her accent and I’ll stand behind that sentiment!

Lisa’s side note: I haven’t been able to shake my American-like accent since!

Now living in Boston, with a very young blog of my own, Lisa asked if I would contribute to Fjords and Beaches because Massachusetts is the Bay State after all and there are plenty of great things to do in the area around Boston!

I am a part of the VIP (Volunteers in Parks) Program at the Longfellow House. It’s quite a mouthful to say ‘Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters’ on the phone so most of the rangers refer to it as simply ‘Longfellow’s House,’ which I’ll continue to do for the rest of the post. But ‘simply’ does nothing to explain the years of history contained in the home. If you happen to come by the Longfellow House be sure to do so on Saturday afternoons. That’s when I will be there! 

I’ve chosen some of my favorite anecdotes from the many tours I have taken in the house and from the many stories I’ve heard from the park rangers. This is nowhere near all of the interesting things that happened inside the walls, which is why it is one of my favourite places to visit in the area. You can even squeeze in a quick loop around Harvard if you like!

The back of Longfellow's House, Massachusetts

Visiting Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters: The background info

A marvelous bright yellow structure, the home itself is nestled on Brattle Street in Cambridge and originally looked over the Charles River. The house was built in 1759 by John Vassall Jr. as a summer home for his family.

One of the more interesting pieces of information about the house is that when the American Revolution started, the family fled down to Boston, hoping to wait out the kerfuffle, and left their slaves in the home. By the time George Washington came to town to take over the colonial army, the Vassalls had fled back to England leaving everything behind. Washington found their home empty and claimed it as his headquarters for the first nine months of the Revolution. The Vassall’s slaves, still tending to the home, met Washington on the day of his arrival. The son, Darby, famously told the story of meeting Washington as a young boy. As Washington rode through the front gate he looked down from his horse and said to Darby, “I’ll find a job for you,” to which Darby replied, “for what money?” 

Years (and a revolution) later, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow stumbled upon this house during his time as a Harvard professor in 1835, and because of the proximity to the University, he rented a single room upstairs. The landlord at the time, the widow Craigie, began renting the rooms of the mansion out as her husband passed all of his debt in life to her upon his death. What a present..

Mrs Craigie told Longfellow that the room he rented was the same that George Washington himself had slept in. Now, we do not know which room George Washington actually slept in, but if Mrs Craigie was a good businesswoman, and she probably was, she would tell every renter that Washington slept in their rented room. Longfellow’s first room, in particular, is the one upstairs to the right of the house overlooking the garden and would eventually become the nursery for Longfellow’s five children. Not to skip ahead too much, but Longfellow ended up marrying Fanny Applegate, a true badass, and her father purchased the home for them as a wedding present. Not a bad gift at all.

indoor shot of the longfellow house outside boston

Things you need to know before visiting

Pro tip: ask to see behind the closet door in the nursery.

There’s an incense diffuser shaped like a bat hanging from the ceiling. Too odd to miss. On my last tour, a guest asked, “Why did the Longfellow’s have that?” to which the ranger replied, “Because they could.” Apparently the family was very keen to have one-of-a-kind pieces and highly valued art, both of which are seen across the entire house. I should also mention here everything in the home is original to the Longfellow family — all but the carpet and drapes. Even the wallpaper is original.

Now, a few things you should know about Longfellow himself. He was America’s first full-time poet publishing classic works that all American children learn in school such as “Paul Revere’s Ride,” “Hiawatha,” and “Evangeline.” Longfellow’s style was written to the common man; brilliant as he was, he created poetry to which everyone could relate. 

One of the greatest stories that we Americans take for a fact because of Longfellow is Paul Revere’s fame. In other words, Paul Revere would have been forgotten by history if not for Longfellow. In the poem, Longfellow lays out this illustrious midnight ride where a hero makes it out of Boston to warn the surrounding towns that the “British are coming!”

In reality, which Longfellow knew, Paul Revere was captured and never told anyone anything. But that doesn’t make for a very good poem now does it?

Revere also had two other less famous companions (that I even had to Google for this post); William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, who were both left out of the poem and out of most history books. The phrase “one if by land, two if by sea” still reminds me that American patriots hung two lanterns in Old North Church, located in the North End of Boston, to warn the town that the British were, in fact, coming by sea.

interior of washington's headquarters, ma

“All houses wherein men have lived and died are haunted houses.”

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

How mystic. I’m sure Longfellow meant the men and women (George Washington notoriously brought his wife Martha everywhere as she was also a symbol of the revolution) who came through the home and created history here. Now, I’m sure a few psychic mediums have been through the home as well and there are rumors that a soldier haunts the library downstairs. I’ll leave this up to you to believe.

I’m also going to leave you with a quick overview of Longfellow’s son Charley because he is my favorite Longfellow. He joined the Union army at the onset of the Civil War, leaving his Victorian lifestyle behind. Charley was shot clean through his back, the bullet nicking his spine, and lived to tell the tale. This changed the course of his life. He traveled all over the world, most notably to Japan, where he lived for a number of years, sending back artefacts seen throughout the home today. One of my favorite pieces is the Buddhist altar in the dining room, which was most likely sold at an auction after Japan ended its 200 years of isolation and opened trade up with the rest of the western world. Charley also has the most incredible tattoos covering most of his body. The piece of Buddha on his stomach would have taken months to complete. He had it done in two weeks time, which leads us to believe he also frequented opium dens.

A member of the Longfellow family to thank for the upkeep of this home, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Dana (I think they just keep adding last names), grew up in the red house next door on Brattle Street and was the one who kept up the items and history that we see today. The Longfellow housing trust eventually donated the home to the National Park Service in 1971, which is why we are fortunate enough to take truly informative tours with expert rangers. 

We should all be grateful for this house in general because it contributed to a wave of historic preservation projects in the US. Other houses in the general area that are operated by the National Park Service are the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site and Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site both of which pay homage to other parts of American history. 

I hope to see you at the Longfellow house soon!

P.S. if none of this appeals to you, and you only like lame jokes, the staff has named the garbage pail General Trashington and has posted about taxing certain items on the register (i.e. No Taxation Without Representation!)

How to get to Longfellow House with public transportation:

From Boston, take the Red Line North towards Alewife. Get off at Harvard Station and exit via the Harvard – Church St, Harvard Square exit. Head northwest towards Church Street. Turn left on Church Street and walk for two blocks. Take a right on Brattle street and the house will be on your right in .25 miles.

Alexandria nunweiler from nunwild.com guest post

About the author

Allie is an outdoor enthusiast, dance artist, and self-proclaimed trivia master located in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a new, aspiring blogger and can be found on Instagram, Twitter or at nunwild.com.

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