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All summer long, visitors are invited to explore a special museum exhibit inside the Longfellow House, available after all house tours. Admission is free and open to all. “Washington's Headquarters and the Memory of the American Revolution” highlights the house’s pivotal role in the Revolution, from its time as George Washington’s headquarters during the Siege of Boston to the Longfellows’ roles in shaping the memory of America’s founding era. A companion virtual exhibit is also available online, offering remote access for those unable to visit the site in person.
“As we celebrate the 249th anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, this exhibit offers a unique opportunity to reflect on how the memory and meaning of the Revolution has evolved,” said site manager Chris Beagan. “It invites visitors to consider not just what happened here in late 1775 and early 1776, but how generations since, including the Longfellows, have remembered, reimagined, and preserved those events.”
In July 1775, the house became a focal point of the escalating revolution when George Washington arrived in Cambridge. He took residence in the Brattle Street mansion recently abandoned by loyalist John Vassall and family. It was his first long-term headquarters of the eight-year-long American Revolutionary War.
For nearly nine months, the house buzzed with activity as Washington directed the Siege of Boston. Within its walls, military strategies were devised, political matters debated, and diplomatic efforts pursued. It was here, on January 2, 1776, that the phrase “the United States of America” appeared in writing for the first time, an early reflection of the growing conviction that the Revolution was a path to independence and an emerging vision of national unity.
The significance of the events and figures tied to the house during the Revolution resonated beyond its time, inspiring poets, historians, and preservationists to commemorate its place in American history. Among them was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who sought to build a national literary tradition by capturing uniquely American stories. In doing so, he and others not only preserved the past—sometimes with creative liberties—but became part of the story themselves.
Spanning two rooms and eight exhibit cases—featuring books, papers, ceramics, metalwork, fine art, and furniture—“Washington's Headquarters and the Memory of the American Revolution” explores life at headquarters during the Revolution, archaeological artifacts from military use of the house, the people of the Revolution, as well as the Longfellows’ efforts to preserve and interpret the memory of the Revolution. Memorialization highlights include artifacts from the 1876 centennial anniversary, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” and his daughter Alice Longfellow’s work to preserve George Washington’s Virginia home, Mount Vernon.
About Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
Longfellow House – Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site preserves a remarkable Georgian house whose occupants shaped the country. 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. For more information about tours, events, and special programming, visit www.nps.gov/long.
Last updated: July 12, 2025