Welcome to From the Vault on Brattle Street, a new video series debuting summer-fall 2020! Twice per month, we'll share hidden histories, and ask how they resonate with your life today.
What better way to celebrate Halloween than with some of Henry Longfellow's spookiest ghost stories, both written and real-life? Join Ranger Nicole as they share Henry's scariest poetry, his spectral encounters, and a little bit of Victorian drama, for flair.
Alice Longfellow, the daughter of Fanny and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, grew up with both atypical ideas of gender and enough wealth that she never needed to take a husband. Join Ranger Nicole as they explore Alice's upbringing, her sexuality, and her relationship with Fanny Stone - one of the longest and most intimate relationships of her life
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's reputation was highly esteemed during his life. However, the century-plus since his death has seen public opinion slip away from him. In this installment of From the Vault on Brattle Street, Ranger Kate takes a look at what might have caused this.
Too often in homefront wars, civilians are forced to become active participants. Learn how the Siege of Boston - and Washington's time headquartered at 105 Brattle St. - impacted ordinary people in Boston and Cambridge.
Who does your family rely on most? Between 1843-1882, the Longfellow family employed 74 servants in their home. In time for Labor Day, we trace the lives of servants through the opulent rooms of 105 Brattle St., and learn how their labor was integral to the family, social, and intellectual life of this famous home.
How has education shaped your path in life? Ranger Kate takes a look at two women with remarkably similar educations, and remarkably different paths in life: Fanny Appleton and Harriot Hunt.
Samuel Longfellow, brother of Henry Longfellow, was an outspoken supporter of women's suffrage and other progressive movements. What does it mean to be an effective ally?
“Have suddenly decided to sail for Japan today. Good Bye.” With that telegram to his father, Charley Longfellow was off on his biggest adventure yet. The people he befriended and the places he saw changed him, and left an impression that lasted the rest of his life. What is your most life-changing adventure?
In 1774, John Vassall fled his Cambridge estate, abandoning his "property," which included the colonial mansion, “sundry stock,” and seven enslaved individuals. This is the story of one of those people – Cuba – and how she and her family navigated bondage and freedom, helping to create the first black community in Cambridge. Who has an untold story in your community?
Ranger Nicole shares stories about Harry Dana (the grandson of Henry Longfellow and first curator of the house) and his activism at the turn of the 20th century. What does activism look like in your everyday life?
