Wadsworth-Longfellow House facts for kids
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Wadsworth-Longfellow House
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The front of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 489 Congress St Portland, Maine |
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| Architect | Peleg Wadsworth |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000090 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 29, 1962 |
The Wadsworth-Longfellow House is a very old house and museum in Portland, Maine, United States. You can find it at 489 Congress Street. The Maine Historical Society takes care of it. This house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1962. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The house is open to visitors from May through October. There is a small fee to enter.
Contents
History of the House
This house is important for two main reasons. First, it is the oldest building still standing on the Portland peninsula. Second, it was the childhood home of a famous American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882).
Building the House
American Revolutionary War General Peleg Wadsworth built this house between 1785 and 1786. It was the very first brick house built in Portland. General Wadsworth and his wife raised ten children in this two-story home. He lived there until 1807, when he moved to his family farm in Hiram, Maine.
Longfellow's Childhood Home
Peleg Wadsworth's daughter, Zilpah, married Stephen Longfellow IV in this house. Their son, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was born nearby in 1807. Young Henry moved into the Wadsworth-Longfellow House when he was eight months old. He lived there for the next 35 years. In 1815, the Longfellow family added the third story that you see today.
Preserving the House
Anne Longfellow Pierce (1810–1901) was the last family member to live in the house. She was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's sister. Anne wanted to keep the house looking much like it did when her grandfather, Peleg Wadsworth, lived there. She was also known for growing oranges in her window!
A Gift to History
When Anne Longfellow Pierce passed away in 1901, her will stated that the house, its land, and many of its old furnishings should be given to the Maine Historical Society. The society opened the home to the public within a year. At that time, very few homes of American writers were owned by groups dedicated to saving them.
Longfellow Garden
The Longfellow Garden is located next to the Wadsworth-Longfellow House. Pearl Wing started the Longfellow Garden Club in 1924 to create this beautiful garden.
Garden Design and Features
The Longfellow Garden Club hired a landscape architect named Myron Lamb. He designed the garden in a style called Colonial Revival. This garden was once part of the Longfellow family's farmyard. In 2007, the garden was replanted after some updates to the Maine Historical Library. You can still see a lilac tree in the back corner, which Anne Longfellow mentioned in her writings.
The Children's Gate
A special "Children's Gate" was put in place in the 1930s. It was designed by Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, who was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's nephew. The gate was taken down in the 1960s but was fixed and put back in 2012.
See also
- Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Samuel Butts House, another old building on the peninsula
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Maine
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Portland, Maine
