The Wadsworth-Longfellow House, constructed in 1785–1786, was originally built for General Peleg Wadsworth and Elizabeth Bartlett, who were the grandparents of the renowned poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. As the first brick dwelling in Portland, it holds the distinction of being the oldest standing structure on the Portland peninsula. General Wadsworth and Elizabeth Bartlett raised their ten children in this home before eventually retiring to their family farm in Hiram, Maine, in 1807.
Significant family events occurred within the walls of this historic residence. Zilpah Wadsworth, General Wadsworth’s daughter, and her husband Stephen Longfellow were married there. Their son, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was born nearby at the home of an aunt on February 27, 1807. Although young Longfellow didn’t move into the Wadsworth-Longfellow House until he was eight months old, he spent the following 35 years of his life there. In 1815, the Longfellow family expanded the house by adding a third story.
The house retained its historical significance even after the Longfellow era. Anne Longfellow Pierce, the final family member to reside there, intentionally preserved the house to reflect the time of General Peleg Wadsworth. In her will, she directed that upon her death in 1901, the house, lot, and many furnishings be bequeathed to the Maine Historical Society. In accordance with her wishes, the Maine Historical Society opened the house to the public within a year of Pierce’s passing, ensuring its historical legacy would be accessible for future generations.
