East side of the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

TOUR INFORMATION

Visitors to Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site can see the interior of the Longfellow House by guided tour only. Tours are typically held from late May until the end of October on Fridays through Mondays. The National Park Service has multiple options for tours, but the main house tour that runs most frequently is held every hour starting at 10 AM, with the last tour at 4 PM. There are also a few specialty tours that are held on a limited basis. For the most updated schedule for all tours, be sure to check out the National Park Service’s Guided Tours web page for the park.

There is a limit of 12 participants per tour, and while there is no fee, you do need to get a ticket. It is possible to call the park starting at 9:30 AM (617-876-4491) to reserve a spot for later that day only, or you can simply show up at the house and get a ticket for the next available tour. If you have a group of six or more people and want to make sure everyone gets on the same tour, you can make a reservation in advance for a Thursday tour. Email the park to make a reservation (email link is on the Guide Tours web page).

Tickets are given out in a small building on the backside of the house that serves as the Visitor Center. In addition to getting a ticket, there is a small book and souvenir store inside, and you can pick up a park brochure. Tours begin here as well—you actually enter the house from this addition. Backpacks and bags are not allowed on the tour, but there is a storage area available.

The park is not that popular, and from talking with a Ranger it didn’t sound like there is ever much of a wait to get on a tour. When I visited on a Sunday in early August, there were only three other people on the 11 AM tour with me.

Those in wheelchairs or with other mobility problems can access the first floor of the house via an elevator, but there are no elevators to the other floors. The Visitor Center is also wheelchair accessible. Please call ahead if you need any other type of special accommodations.

There is not much to do at Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site other than tour the house, so if you want to attend a specific tour, arriving a half hour in advance will give you plenty of time to get a ticket, talk with a park Ranger or knowledgeable volunteer, and take a walk outside in the gardens and yard. If you don’t care which tour you take, show up at any time and get on the next one available.

There are also numerous special events held each season such as concerts, lectures, and historical reenactments. For a schedule, see the National Park Service’s Calendar web page for the park.

Garden at the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

HOUSE TOUR

While both Henry Longfellow and George Washington are associated with the house, the main focus of the tour is Longfellow and his family, and to a lesser extent, the house itself. All of the furnishings belonged to either Longfellow or his descendants who lived there after his death in 1882, while the Washington-related history is much farther back in time, and there are no artifacts related to his stay.

The house, which was built in 1759 by John Vassall, was originally a 5,000-square-foot structure of Georgian design. In the 1790s, the new owner, Andrew Craigie, doubled its size with additions to the backside. The tour covers both the original and new sections of the house.

Model of the original Longfellow House built by John Vassall, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

3D model of the Longfellow House shows a porch and additions made by the Craigies

The following are photos of the various rooms seen on the tour:

BLUE ENTRY

The Craigies built a driveway for carriages on the west side of the house. Instead of having guests walk back around to the front, they built an entrance and hallway that ran along the backside of the original house and connected to the library, a room in the original house that they had also extended when remodeling. The hallway connected to the new addition at the back of the house as well.

Blue Entry to the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

DINING ROOM

While the dining room was part of the original house, it was the kitchen until the Craigies remodeled and moved the kitchen to the new addition. The room is currently decorated as it would have been when Longfellow’s daughter Alice lived in the house after her father’s death.

The portrait on the wall of three girls is that of Longfellow’s daughters Alice, Anne, and Edith. This was painted by Thomas Buchanan Read in 1859. On the left of the painting is a portrait of Fanny Appleton, Longfellow’s second wife and the woman he was married to when living in the house. On the right is a portrait of Fanny’s sister Mary. Both were painted by George Healy in 1834.

Dining room at the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

PARLOR

The parlor is located in the original house. It was used as a reception room by George Washington and the main entertainment room by the Craigies. Some of the furniture now on display was purchased by Longfellow from the Craigies. Most of the Asian decorations were bought around 1870 by Longfellow’s son Charles.

Parlor of the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

The portrait above the clock is that of Longfellow’s sons Charles (left) and Ernest (right).

Portrait of Charles and Ernest Longfellow, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

ORIGINAL ENTRANCE AND STAIRCASE TO THE UPPER FLOOR

The original entrance to the house is on Brattle Street. The bust of George Washington was purchased and placed in the front entrance foyer by Henry Longfellow. The Dutch clock from the 1700s was purchased by him in 1877. This is not, however, the clock that inspired his poem, The Old Clock on the Stairs. That clock was one from his childhood, not to mention the poem was written in 1843.

Original entrance foyer of the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

STUDY

The room now designated as the Study was used as a dining room and office by George Washington. Longfellow used it as his office where he did his writing and a place where his male guests would gather to talk. The portrait of him was done by his son Ernest, who became a painter.

Longfellow’s study at the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

LIBRARY

The library was once smaller and contained within the original walls of the house, but it was extended as part of the 1790s additions done by the Craigies, who then used it as a ballroom. George Washington used it as his staffs’ office. It was the Longfellows who turned it into a library, a music room, and a room for general family activities, parties, and dances.

Library at the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

This is also the room where tragedy struck on July 9, 1861. Fanny was working with hot wax when her dress caught on fire. By the time Henry could put out the flames, she was badly burned; she died the next morning. Their daughter Anne later said that it was not the wax that caused the fire, but a self-lighting match that fell on the floor and lit. Henry was also seriously injured while attempting to put out the flames. The beard he would become known for was grown because his face was so burned that he could no longer shave.

Library at the Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

UPSTAIRS BEDROOMS

There are six bedrooms on the second floor, and more in the top attic. However, what is today called the Gold Room is the only room visited on the tour. This was the room that the Longfellows used as their master bedroom when they owned the house (this is not the room Henry rented when the house belonged to the Craigies). The furniture was given to Henry and Fanny by Fanny’s father when they got married. Most of the Longfellow children were born in this room, as hospital births were not common. This is also where Fanny died after being burned downstairs, and where Henry also died in 1882.

Henry and Fanny Longfellow’s master bedroom at their house in Cambridge, Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

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