The Longfellow National Historic Site, also known as the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House, is a historic site located at 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For almost fifty years, it was the home of noted American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. For a time, it had previously served as the headquarters of George Washington.

A little history

The Longfellow National Historic has a long history and several famous residents. The house was originally built in 1759 for John Vassall, who fled the Cambridge area at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War because of his loyalty to the king of England. George Washington used the abandoned home as his first official headquarters as commander of the Continental Army; the home served as his base of operations during the Siege of Boston until he moved out in July 1776. Andrew Craigie, Washington's Apothecary General, was the next person to own the home for a significant period of time. After purchasing the house in 1791, he instigated the home's only major addition. Craigie's financial situation at the time of his death in 1819 forced his widow Elizabeth Craigie to take in boarders. It was as a boarder that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow came into the home. He became its owner in 1843, when his father-in-law Nathan Appleton purchased it as a wedding gift. He lived in the home until his death in 1882. The last family to live in the home was the Longfellow family, who established the Longfellow Trust in 1913 for its preservation. The home was donated in 1972, along with all its furnishings, and was made part of the National Park Service. When you visit the Longfellow National Historic Site today with your rent a car in New England you will find that the home represents the beautiful mid-Georgian architectural style. The Longfellow National Historic Site is seasonally open to the public.

Things to do

There are lots of things to do when you visit the Longfellow National Historic Site you’re your rent a car in New England. Longfellow National Historic Site offers a variety of special events during the year, including during the winter and early spring months when the site does not offer regularly scheduled tours. During the open season, tours of the house are offered at 10:30 and 11:30 in the morning, and at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon. There is a 15 person per tour limit, and they are operated on a first come first served basis. Not all tours of the house are the same. Some focus on Henry Longfellow's poetry, another might discuss George Washington's residency, and a third could focus on the art, furniture or some other aspect of the house and its story. If you are interested in a specific theme or part of the house's history when you travel with your rent a car in New England, be sure to inquire with the rangers. The tours encompass rooms on the first and second floors of the house, and generally last about 45 minutes.

Before you go...

Longfellow National Historic Site is closed to regular public tours for the 2010 season. Special group and student tours are available, staff permitting. Admission is $3 for Adults (16 and older) and free for Children (under 15). The gardens and grounds are free and open to the public from dawn to dusk every day For more information when you visit the Longfellow National Historic Site with your rent a car in New England check out their official website at www.nps.gov or call (617) 876 - 4491