Longfellow House, Portland

1 more image

The Maine Historical Society offers guided tours of the house beloved American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) grew up in. Built by the poet's grand-father back in 1785-86, the house remained in the Wadsworth Longfellow family until the death of Anne Longfellow Pierce, Henry's sister, in 1901. According to her will, the house was then given to the Maine Historical Society and became one of the state's first museums.

About 90% of the furniture and artifacts inside the house belonged to the family and thanks to the restoration work carried out recently, it is now possible to see the house almost exactly as it was during the days Henry would drop by to visit his family after having moved to Cambridge. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the house for security reasons, but we were able to visit all the rooms located on the first and second floor of the residence. Our guide Judie was very entertaining and interesting, and she made us shiver with her brilliant rendition of some of Longfellow's poems.

Admission is 7$ for adults and it includes admission to the Maine Historical Society museum, which featured an exhibition on Arts and the Wadsworth Longfellow family when we were there. The guided tours last about an hour. Open from May to October, Monday to Saturday, from 10:30 am to 4:00 pm.

This is a quaint house which provides a tour through rooms where Longfellow sat, wrote, ate, slept....I didn't get to go inside, but I did take a peek at the back garden (see other tip!). Hopefully I can get there on my next trip! It's lovely from the outside, and it's on a main street, so it's on the way to anywhere in Portland.

3 more images

The home is open May-Ocotber from 10-5 Mon-sat and 12-5 on Sunday. The home was built in 1785 and restored in 1850's. The Maine Historical Society is attached to the home and part of the tour. Tickets on line provides a 2 for 1 price deal.

Wadsworth-Longfellow House on Congress Street - This was the boyhood home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Built in 1785, this was Portland's first brick house and she retains most of her original furnishings. Open June-October daily, 10am - 4pm. www.mainehistory.com

This is a picture of the sign outside the childhood home of the famous 19th century American poet, Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow.
We didn't go in and visit, but as I strolled by and took this picture, I thought about Longfellow writing one of his best poems, 'The Lighthouse,' and could easily see how Portland could inspire such words.

It is a lovely garden behind the house/museum...definitely take the time to take a peek behind the house, even if you don't go in for the actual tour!