Longfellow and Washington in Cambridge, MA

Okay, so all you Cambridge people are going to say, "but Cambridge is not Boston." I couldn't agree more but I did say the "greater Boston area" in my introduction and basically, anything that is T accessible I am considering "Boston."

That said, the Longfellow House and Washington's Headquarters in Cambridge is both 1) Longfellow's home and 2) the place where Washington (and Martha) stayed during the siege of Boston during the American Revolution. So, it's two pieces of American History in one place!

To visit the house, you must be part of a free, 50 minute tour (Wednesday - Sunday 10am-4pm June thru November). The home contains all of Longfellow's furnishings including the desk where he stood to write his poetry and the chair that the school children of Cambridge commissioned for him that was made of the wood of the chestnut tree from the famous "The Village Blacksmith" poem. The tour guide often recited parts of poems that related to the house or a special furnishing. The furnishings of the house are victorian style. I would have prefered more of the period that Washington stayed there but oh well, the Longfellow decor was still interesting.

My favorite part of the house was the colonial revival garden. It is a hidden gem. The musuem has special family activites on Sundays in the garden and other concerts and poetry readings throughout the summer.

Longfellow House, Washington's Headquarters

The Garden :)

Me with a copy of Longfellow's "Hiawatha's Childhood" poem. I memorized this poem in 1st grade for an end of the school year recitation and shocked my parents and teachers.