Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

All clear. The managing agency, the National Weather Service and wildfire reporting show no current alerts.

Overview

Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site preserves a remarkable Georgian house whose occupants shaped our nation. It was a site of colonial enslavement and community activism, George Washington’s first long-term headquarters of the American Revolution, and the place where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his canon of 19th-century American literature.

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

  • Arts and Culture
  • Live Music
  • Guided Tours
  • Hands-On
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Museum Exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Operating Hours: Hours for the visitor center and house at Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site vary by season. The grounds are open year-round, dawn to dusk. In the summer, the site is open Friday to Monday. During the winter season, the house is closed to the public, with tours available by appointment only.

Getting there

Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters NHS is located in a residential section of Cambridge, MA. There is very little public parking in the area and onsite parking is limited to vehicles with handicapped parking permits. However, the site is a short walk from Harvard Square, where there are paid parking lots and a station for the MBTA Red Line and numerous bus routes. The use of public transportation to the site is highly recommended. Follow the link for detailed instructions.

Visitor centers

  • Visitor Center

Weather

New England weather is highly variable. Temperatures in the winter can be very cold with high snowfall. Fall and spring are generally pleasant. Summer temperatures are generally mild, with periods of heat and humidity. However, the house is air conditioned and heated for collection care and the comfort of the visitor.

Phone: (617) 876-4491

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

Park ranger and visitors crouch in front of an 18th century fireplace
Exploring the early history of 105 Brattle Street · NPS Photo / Sam Mckenzie | The Rambling Woods
View of a study with a round center table cluttered with books and writing implements.
Henry Longfellow's Study · NPS Photo / James P. Jones | Photography RI
A staircase with white balusters and green carpet. A bust of Washington sits at the turn of stairs.
Front Hall · NPS Photo / James P. Jones | Photography RI
Park ranger holding historic illustration in front of prints of Martha and George Washington
Ranger discusses Washington's headquarters in the parlor · NPS photo / Sam Mckenzie | The Rambling Woods
Crowd seated on a shaded lawn listening to an outdoor concert with yellow historic mansion
Longfellow Summer Arts Festival · NPS Photo

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