Explore Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poetic legacy, along with the home, family, and events that shaped his life and work in the 1800s.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was the most celebrated American poet of the 1800s. A New England native, he traveled extensively throughout Europe, mastering several languages before moving into the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House in 1837 after his appointment to the Smith Professorship of Modern Languages at Harvard College.
Longfellow lived in the house from age 30 until his death at 75, making it the center of his rich family and social life. He made a home with his wife Fanny, raised five children, and hosted visitors drawn by his celebrity, from local children to international leaders. His work engaged with contemporary events, including the Civil War and the abolitionist movement, offering reflections that resonated across generations.
As America’s first professional poet, Longfellow achieved an extraordinary level of admiration and shaped the nation’s historical memory—particularly of its founding era—through iconic poems such as “Paul Revere’s Ride,” The Song of Hiawatha, and “A Psalm of Life.” Today, his poetry remains a cornerstone of American literary history and continues to inspire scholars and readers alike.
Henry W. Longfellow: At Home and In Print
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In this drawing of the view from Mt. Holyoke, 17-year-old Fanny Appleton sketches the inside of the “crazy shanty on the summit” framing the “coup-d’oeil” of the panoramic view in Western Massachusetts.
Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
In the mid-19th century, members of the Longfellow family followed in the footsteps of well-off young men taking a Grand Tour across continental Europe to absorb the culture of France and Italy. Many of their collected souvenirs decorate the Longfellow House today.
Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
In 1842, well known white poet Henry Longfellow published "Poems on Slavery" to mixed reviews. This article reconsiders this work alongside two Black poets writing at the same time as Longfellow, George Moses Horton and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.
Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
Romantic friendship is the term most often used when discussing close intimate relationships, often ambiguous in nature, between two same-sex friends in the nineteenth century. For historians, it is difficult to parse out what was simply friendship and what was romantic love. Charles Sumner's parallel relationships with Henry Longfellow and Samuel Gridley Howe highlight just how complex nineteenth century "romantic friendships" could be.
Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
Samuel Longfellow's correspondence, and the relationships he formed over the course of his life, point to the complexities of the gay experience in New England in the 1800s.
Sites:Boston National Historical Park, Boston African American National Historic Site, Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
Learn about Charles Sumner and his romantic friendships with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Samuel Gridley Howe.
Sites:Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, Minute Man National Historical Park, Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Though Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne graduated together as members of Bowdoin College’s class of 1825, the friendship between the two men truly started in 1837. They would remain friends and literary colleagues the rest of their lives.
Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
A prolific poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow often wrote about the natural world. His nature poetry, although abundant, is often overlooked in favor of his national narrative epics like "Paul Revere's Ride" and "Song of Hiawatha." This series sheds light on Longfellow's nature poetry, contextualizing his work through his academic, social, art, and literary influences.
Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
Henry and Fanny Longfellow had six children, all born in the 1840s and 1850s: Charles, Annie, Alice, Ernest, baby Fan, and Edith. This online exhibition highlights the toys, clothing, artwork, schoolwork, books, poetry, and familial challenges that shaped their childhood.
