Alice's Garden

Alice Longfellow hired her cousin, architect Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr., to design this small sitting garden in 1905.

• Alice’s Garden occupies the space between the white lattice fence of the Formal Garden and the steps to the veranda, abutting the visitor’s center. The yellow clapboard wall of the one-story visitor center spans the width of the west side of the garden. This garden is most notable for its white trellis made of three arched faces of latticework with space for a white wooden bench in the center arch. The lattice normally supports clematis vines during the growing season. The flower beds beneath the lattice include hostas, ferns, and other plants and are bordered by a low-clipped hedge of Japanese barberry. A second row of barberry running parallel to the planting bed marks the eastern edge of a turf path and defines the outer edge of Alice’s Garden. A black metal pipe arbor stands on the northern end of the garden and is used to support more clematis vines. The walkways of this garden are grass.

Cambridge Common

A popular outdoor spot with tourists and locals alike, the Cambridge Common has been part of the history of Cambridge for over 250 years. Historical markers include the site of the "Washington Elm," memorials to Prince Hall and Revolutionary Generals Kościuszko and Knox, a Civil War monument, and a memorial to victims of the Irish Famine.

• The Cambridge Common is an 8.5 acre public park bordered by Massachusetts Avenue, Waterhouse Street, and Garden Street. Roughly triangular in shape, the park has a large playground for children surrounded by trees as well as a grassy field for playing soccer or other sports. There are many paved walking paths crossing the common. Most of these paths intersect in the large brick-paved circle that surrounds a Civil War monument. The Civil War monument is a tall white stone structure topped with a stone statue of a Civil War soldier leaning on his rifle. The middle section of the monument has four arches cut out of it, through which you can see a metal sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. Each of the four sides of the base of the monument has three metal plaques that tell the names of Massachusetts soldiers who died in the Civil War. The monument is surrounded by stone benches. Nearby is the memorial to the victims of the Irish Famine. This monument consists of a stone block topped with a green metal sculpture of a seated woman reaching a hand out to a standing man. He reaches back to her with one hand, while his other arm holds a child. One side of the stone block is carved with “An Gorta Mór--The Great Hunger/ Ireland 1845-1850/Dedicated by the President of Ireland Mary Robinson July 22, 1997”; the other side is carved with “Never again should a people starve in a world of plenty.” Near the Irish Famine memorial is the Prince Hall monument, which is dedicated to the first Black Grand Master of the Freemasons. The monument consists of five tall slabs of black stone, which are engraved with excerpts of Prince Hall’s speeches and writings.

Christ Church Cambridge

Established in 1759 and designed by Peter Harrison, who was the first formally-trained architect to work in the North American British colonies, Christ Church provided Church of England services to the local Cambridge community prior to the American Revolution.

• The Christ Church building is made of wood and placed on a granite foundation. Looking at the building from the street, there is a tall central tower with a shorter section on each side. Each of these shorter sections has a large window composed of many small panes of glass. The building’s front door, which is painted red, is in the central tower. There is a small round window above it, with a larger semi-circular window above that.

Dexter Pratt House

This lot was the site of the “spreading chestnut tree” and the smithy’s workshop, which were a source of inspiration for Longfellow’s “The Village Blacksmith.”

Fort Washington

Today known as Fort Washington Park, this Cambridge location is home to the last remaining physical remnant of the many fortifications built around Boston by the Continental Army during the Revolution.

Lechmere-Sewall-Riedesel House

Built in 1760, this house was originally owned by Cambridge's wealthy elite. During the Revolutionary War, the house was used as a lavish prison for Baron Friedrich Adolf Riedesel, a Hessian General, and his wife, Charlotte

• Two-story gray house with white trim and black shutters. The corners of the facade are decorated with faux stone squares painted white. The facade is symmetrical, with two large windows flanking a central door and covered porch on the first story, five windows on the second story, and two dormer windows. There is a large chimney on either side of the house.

Longfellow Bridge

Slave catcher Marshall Asa Butman stationed himself on this bridge in hopes of catching freedom seeker John Jackson while he walked to work.

Longfellow Carriage House

The Longfellows built this carriage house in 1844, replacing earlier outbuilding structures. Today it is used by the park to host lectures and visitor events.

Longfellow Garden

The formal garden you see today is a restoration of a Colonial Revival garden commissioned by Alice Longfellow, daughter of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The beds are planted with early 20th century heirloom plants and have benches that provide places of quiet retreat. The garden is open for the enjoyment of all, every day, from dawn to dusk.

• The Formal Garden is located adjacent to the northern border of the property, to the east of the Carriage House and north of the East Lawn. Visitors may enter the garden from three entrances. These entrances are the pedimented archway next to the carriage house, a gate on the southwestern border by Alice’s Garden, and another gate on the southeastern border adjacent to the eastern property boundary. The Colonial Revival-style garden design is intended to resemble a Persian carpet, having a circular teardrop pattern at the center with geometric beds on the eastern and western sides. Linear flower beds line each border except for the eastern border, which is occupied by a large pergola that has a few vines growing on it and normally has benches underneath it to provide a shady place for guests to sit and enjoy the garden. Short boxwoods border each flower bed to reinforce the geometric garden layout and the flower beds are planted with a variety of flowers that bloom throughout the growing season. The western flower beds are dedicated to a variety of roses. Small ornamental trees are planted within the teardrop beds and flanking the pergola. The center of the Formal Garden is marked by a four-foot-tall column supporting a metal armillary sundial with the words “Pensa che questo di mai non raggiorna” (“Think that this day will never dawn again”) inscribed on the sundial’s base. The southern and western borders for the garden are marked by low three-foot-tall white lattice fencing. The northern border of the Formal Garden features a wide border of evergreen vegetation, creating a dense screen that entirely blocks the view of adjacent properties. Here, as elsewhere, the pathways are made of stone dust.

Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters

Built in 1759, the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow house was an impressive example of Georgian style and colonial wealth. During the American Revolution, it served as home and headquarters to George Washington in 1775-1776 and the home of preeminent American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from 1837 to his death in 1882. The house connects to American stories of freedom, enslavement, Revolution, literature, and culture.

• Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site is set a few hundred feet off of Brattle Street. There is a straight paved path that cuts in between green manicured lawn up to three-part brick stairs that go to the front door. The stairs are flanked by two white fences that extend into the lawn. The House is a classic example of Georgian style symmetrical architecture. The light yellow house has three stories, with white trim. The first story has a white front door at the center with two windows on each side, totaling four. All the windows have dark shutters, including the second floor. The second floor has a total of five windows with the four parallel to the first floor and an additional window in the center where the door would be on the first floor. The third floor has two dormer style windows that protrude from the grayish-black tiled roof also highlighted with white and have no shutters. On the roof, two yellow chimneys extend from the left and right sides, with a small railing fence in between them. The left side of the house has a gravel driveway that goes behind the house to an existing yellow carriage house in the same style and color as the house.

Longfellow House Forecourt

The forecourt of the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House provides views of the original 1759 footprint of the home.

• The Forecourt is the front yard of the house that abuts Brattle Street. The border facing Brattle Street is lined with taupe-colored, Chippendale-patterned woodwork fencing and brick walls. An entrance for pedestrians is at the midpoint of the fence line. Walking through the visitor entrance, guests pass between dense masses of lilac shrubs and tall elm trees, following a path that leads directly to the front door of the house. The yellow house is built in a Georgian design, having symmetrical features like the windows and black shutters as well as four white pilasters that decorate the front of the house. The landscape is designed to give a sense of grandeur and the topography of the forecourt is organized into three levels of elevation that grow higher leading to the house. Three short flights of sandstone steps lead to the house, raising each terrace about two feet from the prior. A white wooden balustrade with woodbine growing underneath accentuates the edge of the first terrace and behind it is a stone dust pathway that runs east/west and curves around the sides of the house to provide easy direction.

Longfellow Park

Longfellow Park preserves the view from the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House across open space to the Charles River. In the center of the designed landscape is a memorial to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

• The park is a long, narrow stretch between Brattle Street and Mount Auburn Street with two tiers. The upper tier, facing Brattle Street, consists of a large lawn at the center of a U-shaped drive lined with residences. The lower tier features an oval lawn with plantings. At the center of the park, between the two tiers, is a large granite monument with steps on either side and a sunken walled garden in front of it. The monument features a bronze-colored bust of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow with a beard and academic gown on a square pedestal at the center. The granite monument behind him has the word “poet” in a laurel leaf above his head and flanked by six full-length standing figures in bas relief representing characters from his poems. On the left side of the monument, Miles Standish wears colonial hunting outfit, Sandalphon is an angel with wings and halo carrying flowers, and the Village Blacksmith stands in shirtsleeves and apron with hands on tool. On the right side of the monument, the Spanish Student wears colonial style costume, Evangeline wears colonial dress and cap, and Hiawatha wears animal fur around waist.

Massachusetts Hall

Originally constructed in 1720, Massachusetts Hall is the oldest building still standing on Harvard’s campus. In the more than three hundred years since it was built, Massachusetts Hall has been used for a variety of purposes, including as an army barrack during the Revolutionary War.

Mount Auburn Cemetery

Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first landscaped rural or “garden” cemetery in the United States. Established in 1831 in Watertown and Cambridge, Massachusetts, the cemetery was not only designed as a resting place for the deceased, but also as an attraction and pleasure ground, with picturesque landscapes, winding paths, a variety of horticulture, and sculptural art.

Old Burying Ground

From its establishment in the mid-1600s until the early 1900s, the Old Burying Ground in Harvard Square took in new burials. It now offers a look into life and death in the Colonial Period of the Greater Boston area.

• The Old Burying Ground is surrounded by an iron fence on three sides with three gates. Upon stepping inside, you see uneven, irregular rows of centuries-old grey tombstones. Many of the stones are broken or have been repaired. To the right a brick wall encloses the rest of the cemetery. Many trees dot the field. The ground is hilly and uneven, and the paths between the tombstones are narrow; visitors should exercise caution when visiting the cemetery. It is not wheelchair accessible. Feral wolves once roved this area, but now you are more likely to encounter feral turkeys instead.

Penelope Vassall House

Built in 1746 for the wealthy Henry and Penelope Vassall, this house was used as a medical facility during the Revolutionary War and it was here that Dr. Benjamin Church was confined under house arrest after he was accused of passing information to British General Gage.

• This grey colonial home sits on the corner of Brattle and Hawthorne streets, and so its north and west facades are easily visible from the road. It is a symmetrical, two story home, with grey clapboards, large dentil molding, a cupola and three brick chimneys on the roof. The entrance to the home is on the western façade and consists of a red door, white trim, rectangular pediment that extends a few feet off the façade, and is completed by two white columns. This side of the house has eight symmetrical windows with black shutters on each, four on each floor. The grey roof features four dormer windows with white trim. The front path is flanked by large green hedges. A smaller, modern two-story addition extends off the right wall on this façade. The north façade sits on Brattle Street and is separated by a stone fence over five feet tall from the red brick sidewalk. There are ten symmetrical windows with white trim and black shutters on this side, five on each floor. On this side of the house, a large tree shades the sidewalk, a good place to view it from. Often, an early form of the American flag with elements of the Union Jack is flown from this façade.

Read House

The site is named after James Read, the original owner who built the house about 1738 and worked as a tanner. Two of his sons served in the New England Army during the American Revolution, marching on the alarm of April 19th, 1775 to Lexington and Concord.

• This yellow two-story colonial house is nestled behind Harvard’s modern Monroe C. Gutman library. The façade of the house is symmetrical, with four windows on either side. A large black windowless door sits in the center with a triangular pediment above it. Also above the door sits a 9th rectangular window. The doors and all the windows have white trim. On the roof, there are two symmetrical chimneys and two dormer windows. There is a crescent walkway in front of the houses' entrance, made of segments of brick and granite. Where the crescent walkway meets the path from the library, it forms a circle garden bed with green ground cover and a single tree. At the bed’s southern edge, there is a shaded wooden bench to sit on.

Ruggles-Fayerweather House

This colonial house was constructed circa 1764 by a wealthy Caribbean plantation owner, George Ruggles. Before the start of the Revolutionary War, the Ruggles family moved to Boston and then eventually to England, selling this estate to Thomas Fayerweather, a successful merchant. After the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775, Fayerweather lent the home to the patriot cause to serve as a wartime hospital.

Wadsworth House

Originally built in 1726, Wadsworth House was used as the place of residence for the president of Harvard until 1849. In July 1775, the house briefly served as the first headquarters of General George Washington.

William Brattle House

Built in 1727 under the ownership of Major General William Brattle, this home is one of the many large estates of Cambridge that were owned by wealthy loyalists at the time of the American Revolution.

Visitor Center

• Visitor Center
• Visitor center and bookstore at the rear of the historic house. All house tours enter through this main entrance.

• Explore Temporary Exhibits in the Longfellow House
• Temporary exhibits in a gallery inside the historic house use the rich museum collections at the site, including objects usually in storage, to explore theme's related to the site's history. On exhibit beginning May 2025: "Washington’s Headquarters and the Memory of the American Revolution"

• Summer Festival
• The Longfellow Summer Arts Festival brings music, poetry, and community to the East Lawn of the Longfellow House on Sunday afternoons through the summer. All events are free and open to the public.

• Guided Tour of the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House
• Join a ranger in exploring the layers of history and significance in the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House.

• Art in the Landscape
• The landscape around Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters has inspired artists for generations. Bring your own preferred materials to paint or draw en plain air!

Changing Landscape Tour

Explore how this site's landscape has developed over time through brief text, activities, and audio. Immerse yourself in history, play games, and walk the grounds. This tour contains activities for both individuals and groups. To begin, select "Start Audio Tour." For activities that accompany this tour, visit https://www.nps.gov/long/planyourvisit/grounds-tour.htm

Loyalists of Cambridge

While the houses and street names on this tour have long memorialized individual people, the history of the properties themselves represent themes of inequality, aristocracy, and multiplicities of experiences that this tour seeks to bring to light. A walking tour developed by students in HIST 1776, Harvard College, Fall 2021.

Poetry of Places

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poetry touches on universal themes, but in many instances it is specifically located through references, imagery, and inspiration to his Cambridge neighborhood.

The Continental Army in Cambridge

How are the stories of the American Revolution remembered and re-told? Together, these six tour stops reveal how our society’s collective memory is constantly evolving. A walking tour developed by students in HIST 1776, Harvard College, Fall 2021. Special thanks to the Boston Camerata and their artistic director Anne Azema for permission to use music from their 2019 album Free America! Songs of Resistance and Rebellion released by Harmonia Mundi for this walking tour.

The Road to Revolution

You are standing on Tory Row, famous for the wealthy people who lived here before the American Revolution. What convinced them to stay loyal to the Crown and did their neighbors agree? What did it mean to be a loyal in 1774? Come find out! This walking tour takes about 1 hour to complete and covers 0.7 miles from 105 Brattle Street to the Cambridge Common. The path stays on sidewalks and paved trails, but can be uneven. The tour can be paired with the park’s “The Road to Revolution” Junior Ranger book.