Last updated: September 25, 2021
Place
Longfellow House Forecourt
NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
105 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA
Significance:
The earliest European settlers in the Brattle Street area used the land for small farms. After the colony’s capital was moved to Boston in 1638, wealthy families like the Vassalls began building grand country estates in this area. In 1759, John Vassall Jr., an owner of Jamaican sugar plantations, used his wealth gained through the labor of enslaved people to build the house you see today.
In the decades prior to the American Revolution, property along Brattle Street was quickly bought up by wealthy British loyalists, transforming the landscape from small farms to lavish estates. In 1759, John Vassall, Esquire used his family’s wealth – which derived from Jamaican sugar plantations – to purchase large plots of land in Cambridge and build the mansion you see today. Vassall built this house in a traditional Georgian style, having a rectangular shape and symmetrical design typical of that era.
When the Craigies bought this property in 1792, they focused on embellishing the landscape to show off their wealth. Here at the front of the property, the Craigies removed part of the brick wall replaced it with the wooden fencing you see today (a popular trend of the era). It is also likely that prior to the Craigies, a circular driveway was in front of the house, which the Craigies then moved to the western side (where you see the carriage loop today).
Later on, the Longfellows added to the Forecourt in a way that embellished and attempted to preserve the house’s charm. The lilac beds you see today were first planted by the Longfellows to shield the Forecourt and home from the bustling noise on Brattle Street. Furthermore, Henry Longfellow preserved the elm trees in the Forecourt the best he could. He believed the elms dated to Washington’s era, writing that “the magnificent elms… signalized the place and under whose shadow Washington had walked.” In 1872, Henry also added the balustrade (fence-like structure) you see running along the path leading to the sides of the house.