Though currently located in the central business district of Portland, when first completed, the Wadsworth-Longfellow House had nearly unobstructed views of the Portland Harbor and the Back Cove. The building sits back from the street behind a cast-iron fence and a brick courtyard. It is three stories high, constructed of brick. The symmetrical facade contains little ornamentation except the arched windows on the first and second floors and the entry porch sheltering the door. Doric columns support a projecting pediment that covers a simple wood paneled door. Constructed by the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's grandfather, General Peleg Wadsworth, the house was originally two stories high with a gabled roof. Longfellow's father Stephen added the third floor and changed the roof configuration in 1815. Longfellow lived in the house from age eight months to fifteen when he entered Bowdoin College. He continued to regularly visit his family at the home until his death. His younger sister Anne Longfellow Pierce left the house to the Maine Historical Society in 1901. The house retains its original furnishings and memorabilia from the family. Designated a National Historic Landmark, it is significant as both the oldest surviving structure on the Portland peninsula and the childhood home of Longfellow. The house is currently owned by the Maine Historical Society and open for tours seasonally.
Year Listed: 1966
National Historic Landmark Designated: 1962
For more information: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=4193a63e-b901-46d9-8670-9dc9927aa243