Cultural Resources

Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, built in 1759, was the first major headquarters of General George Washington in the American Revolution from 1775 to 1776, and later the family home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from 1837 to 1882, and his descendants. The site operates as a historic house museum, furnished to the occupancy of the Longfellow family. The archival collections (about 450 linear feet) largely consist of the personal papers of four interrelated families - Longfellow, Appleton, Wadsworth, and Dana - and are particularly rich in nineteenth-century women's papers. They also contain institutional records documenting the house's management as a museum from about 1913 and its 1970s transfer to and subsequent management by the National Park Service. These collections provide context for much of the house's furnishings and other objects in the museum collections.

The visitor center and first floor of the historic house are fully accessible. The archives research room is accessed by a flight of stairs and is not wheelchair accessible. The archivist can make alternate accommodations with advanced notice.