News Release

Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site Invites Public to Civic Season Community Events

News Release Date: June 5, 2025

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Over the three weeks from Juneteenth National Independence Day to Independence Day, Civic Season invites visitors to Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site to reflect on the meaning of freedom. The two public holidays that bookend Civic Season are deeply tied to the site's history, linking the struggles for independence and emancipation across generations.

Join Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters for two free weekend community events that deepen our understanding of history and civics and encourage reflection on America’s ongoing journey toward liberty—from its colonial roots through the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and beyond.

Juneteenth National Independence Day Gathering

Sunday, June 22, 2025, at 12:30-3:30

Join a powerful community gathering honoring those who endured slavery and seized freedom on Brattle Street before the American Revolution, their descendants, and the enduring legacy of Black freedom activism in Cambridge and beyond. This free, all-ages event is marking its fourth year in 2025, and is curated by Denise Washington (#Pop-Up Poetry Series), a descendant of Darby Vassall. Event schedule and learn more.

This all-ages event features:

• Remarks and reflections
• Juneteenth #Pop-Up Poetry: A Denise Plays Hard Event
• Live music
• Historical exhibits and family-friendly activities, including a Story Walk
• Light refreshments

This free event is generously supported by the Friends of Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters, Inc.

In honor of Juneteenth, Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site is proud to premiere a new, 6-minute short film, “‘Who Are My Ancestors?’ The Descendants of Cuba Vassall.” Cuba Vassall (c. 1734-1812) was the matriarch of a family that included abolitionists and community builders. In this short film, her living descendants reflect on their heritage and the legacy of slavery at Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, the Royall House & Slave Quarters, and Christ Church Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Headquarters of a Revolution: The 250th Anniversary of Washington’s Arrival in Cambridge

Saturday, July 5, 2025, at 10:00-3:00

Commemorate the 250th anniversary of General George Washington’s arrival in Cambridge to assume command of the Continental Army in 1775. Cambridge Headquarters was a testing ground for many of the ideals, institutions, and questions that still define our country. This event will reveal Cambridge Headquarters as a complex hub of revolutionary activity, where generals, enslaved people, paid laborers, poets, Indigenous diplomats, politicians, self-emancipated families, and soldiers shaped history. Event schedule and learn more.

This all-ages event invites visitors to experience Revolutionary-era history brought to life through:

• Neighborhood and house tours
• Living history interpreters
• Short talks by historians
• Cambridge Open Archives
• Historical exhibits and family-friendly activities, including a Story Walk

This event is made possible through the generous support of Eastern National, a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service.

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.