Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
National Historic Site · MA
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.
- NPS site
- nps.gov/long
- Location
- Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site (42.377, -71.126)
Track your visit to Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
NP Tracker keeps a record of every National Park Service unit you visit — all 430-plus of them. Log visits with dates and photos, collect passport stamps, plan trips, and watch your map fill in. It's free.
Passport stamp locations
- Visitor Center
Hours
Operating Hourstoday: 9:30AM - 5:00PM
- Sat Oct 39:30AM - 5:00PM
- Sun Oct 49:30AM - 5:00PM
- Mon Oct 59:30AM - 5:00PM
- Tue Oct 6Closed
- Wed Oct 7Closed
- Thu Oct 8Closed
- Fri Oct 99:30AM - 5:00PM
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.
Hours are retrieved from the National Park Service and can change without notice — check the official site before you go.
Visitor centers
1
- Visitor Centerhours not postedDirections
Self-guided tours
5
Changing Landscape Tour1–2 hours · 5 stops
Explore how this site's landscape has developed over time through brief text, activities, and audio. Immerse yourself in history, play games, and walk the grounds. This tour contains activities for both individuals and groups. To begin, select "Start Audio Tour." For activities that accompany this tour, visit https://www.nps.gov/long/planyourvisit/grounds-tour.htm
Loyalists of Cambridge30–60 minutes · 6 stops
While the houses and street names on this tour have long memorialized individual people, the history of the properties themselves represent themes of inequality, aristocracy, and multiplicities of experiences that this tour seeks to bring to light. A walking tour developed by students in HIST 1776, Harvard College, Fall 2021.
Poetry of Places1–2 hours · 6 stops
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poetry touches on universal themes, but in many instances it is specifically located through references, imagery, and inspiration to his Cambridge neighborhood.
The Continental Army in Cambridge30–90 minutes · 6 stops
How are the stories of the American Revolution remembered and re-told? Together, these six tour stops reveal how our society’s collective memory is constantly evolving. A walking tour developed by students in HIST 1776, Harvard College, Fall 2021. Special thanks to the Boston Camerata and their artistic director Anne Azema for permission to use music from their 2019 album Free America! Songs of Resistance and Rebellion released by Harmonia Mundi for this walking tour.
Entrance fees
No entrance fee.
Nearby18 within 100 miles
- John F. Kennedy National Historic SiteNational Historic Site2.1 mi
- Boston African American National Historic SiteNational Historic Site3.2 mi
- Boston National Historical ParkNational Historical Park3.3 mi
- Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic SiteNational Historic Site3.6 mi
- Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area