Nestled along historic Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts is an elegant colonial mansion that holds a great deal of American history: the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House. In fact, this is one of a few historic houses located along what is known as “Tory Row” (so named because these mansions were once owned by those wealthy families who remained loyal to the king during the American Revolutionary War). Additionally, this house served as George Washington’s first headquarters as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. Today, it is preserved by the National Park Service as the Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters Historic Site.
History
In 1759, a mansion in the Georgian-style was constructed overlooking the Charles River, built as a summer retreat for John Vassall and his family, who had a residence in Boston. The wealthy Vassall owned a sugar plantation in Jamaica, which was worked by hundreds of slaves (at least seven slaves were with his family in Massachusetts). Many other wealthy elites chose to build summer estates along the same road, which created one of the most magnificent neighborhoods in all of New England.
As revolutionary fervor swept through Boston in the mid-1760s and early 1770s, many wealthy families, to include the Vassall family, were greatly concerned by the instability. Accordingly, they remained fervently loyal to the king in hopes of maintaining their fortunes and their way of life. By 1774, loyalist families in Cambridge (also known as “tories”) feared for their own safety, because those Cambridge citizens who supported the patriot movement became more bold and outspoken (some were threatened and the home of Jonathan Sewell, state attorney general, was vandalized). In the face of this threat, the Vassall family and most of their neighbors fled to the safety of Boston and its soldiers.
In July 1775, General George Washington arrived in Cambridge to take command of the thousands of patriot troops that were camped around Boston. Throughout the siege of Boston from April 1775 – March 1776, Cambridge served as the central camp for the American army. General Washington established his headquarters at the stately mansion of John Vassall, which was but a few blocks from Cambridge Common. In December 1775, Martha Washington arrived at headquarters to spend the winter with her husband (something she did throughout the war).
During General Washington’s approximately nine month stay at the Vassall House, it was constantly abuzz with activity. Washington often welcomed many well-known political and military figures, to include a delegation of congressmen (led by Benjamin Franklin), which convened in order to determine the best way ahead with the siege. In March 1776, he celebrated the British Army’s evacuation of Boston at this house and shortly thereafter, departed for New York City.
In 1791, the house was purchased by Andrew Craigie, who served as the Continental Army’s first apothecary general during the American Revolution. He married Elizabeth Shaw in 1793 and worked to make the elegant home even more grand (he even constructed an addition on the rear of the house). Unfortunately, Andrew died with a great deal of debt, which forced Elizabeth to take in boarders. One such boarder was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who was a young Harvard modern languages professor looking for a place to live. He moved into the house in 1837, in awe that George Washington once stayed there.
In 1843, Longfellow married Frances “Fanny” Appleton, whose father purchased the Craigie House for the newlyweds as a wedding gift. The next year, Longfellow made sure to have a terra-cotta bust of George Washington (a copy of Houdon’s original) placed in the entry hall, where it remains to this day. This remained the home of the Henry Longfellow until his death in 1882 (Frances died in 1861). From 1882 until 1950, the house was occupied by Longfellow’s children and other family members. In 1913, the Longfellow children established the Longfellow House Trust and in 1972, it was donated to the National Park Service.
Our Visit & Recommendations
The Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site (105 Brattle Street), also known as the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House, preserves the former home of John Vassall, Andrew Craigie, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (I was amazed when I learned that the house has had only four owners in its 250+ year existence). Today, the National Park Service operates the historic home, which is open seasonally (May-October), with tours generally offered Friday-Monday. Check out their website for updated information to best plan your visit. Of note, the Visitor Center entrance is located at the back of the house.
We happened to be the only ones on the tour, which made for an in-depth and personal experience. The tour lasted approximately 45 minutes and included the entire first and second floors (the third floor is primarily used as storage space). We began in the rear of the house, where the Visitor Center and small gift shop are located. If you have time before your tour, be sure to check out the small museum/display, which highlights unique items that are rotated from their archival collections.
The house is furnished largely as it was when Henry Wadsworth Longfellow lived there in the 19th-century, with other items owned by the Longfellow family throughout. Since Washington’s stay at the house was brief and during a time of war and transition, there are no pieces of furniture or items on display that are known to have been used by George or Martha. The first floor consists of multiple rooms, to include a dining room, parlor, study, and library.
The Dining Room was actually the house’s kitchen in the 18th-century; however, it was eventually transformed into a dining room, complete with multiple paintings (it looks more like an art gallery today). From there, the tour moves into the front parlor, which is exquisitely furnished. This comfortable space was likely used by Martha Washington to host guests for tea and entertainment.
As you pass through the front entry hall, be sure to check out the terra-cotta bust of George Washington next to the stairs. Longfellow greatly admired Washington and had this bust made and placed in a prominent place in his house- it has stood in the entry hall ever since.
My favorite room on the tour is Longfellow’s study, which was actually the same room used by General George Washington for meetings and discussions (just imagine the cast of characters that passed through this space!). Remarkably, the study looks pretty much exactly as it did when Longfellow used it, to include all of his original furniture and books. Our tour guide mentioned that were Longfellow to somehow reappear in this room today, he would be able to reach for a particular book on the shelf and find it with no problem! As you pass through Longfellow’s study, you will next arrive in the library (by the number of books in the study, I assumed that was the library).
The second floor of the house includes three bedrooms and another parlor/sitting room, which are similarly furnished as it was when the Longfellow family members lived there. Of course, George and Martha Washington undoubtedly used one of these bedrooms as their private chamber; however, there is no evidence to confirm which room was actually used by them.
As I stood on the second-floor landing and stared out the front window overlooking the yard, all I could think about was the many well-known people from history that may have stood in that very spot and looked out that window. Perhaps George Washington himself looked out that window as Martha arrived, or members of the Longfellow family eagerly stared out to see who the next exciting visitor was.
The tour concluded on the second floor and we proceeded back towards the back of the house. Be sure to check out the gift shop before you leave and grab one of the many NPS pamphlets that provide a great bit of detail and history of the house.
It being a beautiful day, we decided to meander about the unique and relaxing formal garden. When Henry Longfellow owned the house, he created a lyre-shaped garden and was very involved in landscaping around the house. In 1847, he actually hired English landscaper Richard Dolben to design a formal garden for the property. You could imagine Longfellow quietly pacing about the winding garden trails, thinking of a new poem or idea! Today, the existing garden and pathways are from a restoration by the Cambridge Plant and Garden Club in 1969.
