Text of Sign on House:
Wadsworth - Longfellow House
built 1785 - 1786
Open Seasonally for Tours
Built by Peleg Wadsworth in 1785-1786, this is the boyhood home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Three generations of the Wadsworth and Longfellow families lived in the home until 1901, when Anne Longfellow Pierce, the port's sister, bequeathed the residence to the Maine Historical Society. It opened to the public that years as Maine's first -- and one of America's earliest -- house museums.
The Wadsworth-Longfellow House was designated a national Historic Landmark on December 29, 1962.
[Some history of the house from the Maine Historic Site:
Within its walls lived three generations of one remarkable family that made significant contributions to the political, literary, and cultural life of New England and the United States. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882), grew up in the house and went on to become one of the most famous men of his time.
General Peleg Wadsworth, built the house in 1785–1786, and the last person to live there was Anne Longfellow Pierce, Henry's younger sister. Mrs. Pierce, widowed at an early age, lived in the house until her death in 1901. At that time, in accordance with a deed she executed in 1895, the house passed to the Maine Historical Society to be preserved as a memorial to her famous brother and their family.
Virtually all of the household items and artifacts are original to the Wadsworth and Longfellow families.
Furnishings from the three generations illustrate changes in style, technology, and attitude over the 19th century. Peleg and Elizabeth Wadsworth raised ten children in the house before retiring to the family farm in Hiram, Maine, in 1807.
parlor
The Parlor
The Wadsworth–Longfellow House is also an important architectural artifact of New England's past. Originally a two–story structure with a pitched roof, it was the first wholly brick dwelling in Portland. Zilpah and Stephen Longfellow (Henry's parents) added a third story in 1815. The only single–family residence to survive downtown Congress Street's change from a mixed commercial and residential neighborhood on the edge of town to an urban business district, it is the oldest standing structure on the Portland peninsula.
After two and a half years of meticulous renovation to the era of the 1850's, the Wadsworth–Longfellow house re–opened to the public in June of 2002.
Behind the House you will find a secluded Colonial Revival garden that is an oasis of green and quiet in the heart of downtown Portland. Beautifully landscaped, it has a small entertainment area and meandering paths throughout. The garden will be closed, however, during the library renovation.]
[Wikipedia's Offerings:
The house has both historical and literary importance, as it is both the oldest standing structure on the Portland peninsula and the childhood home of famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Revolutionary War General Peleg Wadsworth built the house in 1785-1786, the first wholly brick dwelling in Portland. Wadsworth raised ten children in the two-story structure with a pitched roof before retiring to the family farm in Hiram, Maine, in 1807. His daughter Zilpah and her husband Stephen Longfellow IV were married in the house.
Their son, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was born nearby at the home of an aunt in 1807. He did not move with his parents to this house until he was eight months old, but spent the next 35 years there. The Longfellows added today's third story in 1815.
Anne Longfellow Pierce (1810-1901) was the last family member to live in the house. She deliberately kept the house much as it was in Peleg Wadsworth's time, but is perhaps best remembered for growing oranges in the window (no small feat in a Maine winter). Her will stipulated that the house, lot, and many furnishings be given to the Maine Historical Society upon her death.]