Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site
A Georgian mansion, layered family collections, gardens, archives, and Washington’s brief headquarters connect national mythology with household and neighborhood history.
Artwork inspired by Lilla Cabot Perry
A Georgian mansion, layered family collections, gardens, archives, and Washington’s brief headquarters connect national mythology with household and neighborhood history. The house contains more than two famous residents. Its interpretation follows Vassall wealth and slavery, Washington’s military occupancy, Longfellow family life, literary networks, preservation, and the making of historical memory across nearly two centuries.
Interior entry is by guided tour with limited capacity, while gardens have broader seasonal access. Reserve time to compare rooms with the surrounding Brattle Street landscape, and expect historic stairs and thresholds. Poetry events and research access follow separate schedules. The house is not open for free-flow entry, and tours can fill before the grounds close. Limited climate control and preservation work may close rooms.
- Built
- 1759
- Headquarters
- George Washington, 1775–1776
- Resident
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Quick guide
- Begin before Longfellow
- Vassall wealth and slavery shape the house.
- Take the guided route
- Layered occupancy needs careful interpretation.
Know before you go
- Begin before Longfellow
- Vassall wealth and slavery shape the house.
- Take the guided route
- Layered occupancy needs careful interpretation.
- Walk the garden
- Domestic landscape carries literary memory.
- Compare the street
- Brattle Street extends the social network.
Good to know
The house is not open for free-flow entry, and tours can fill before the grounds close. Limited climate control and preservation work may close rooms.
Notice these
- Longfellow study
- Georgian facade
- Formal garden