The Longfellow Garden
“We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.”
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~
Portland, Maine, which was once part of Massachusetts, has a very walkable downtown area which includes the first private home to become a museum in Maine, and one of the first in the nation.
The Wadsworth-Longfellow House, which is situated on Congress Street, was built in 1785. At the time, the gardens we now see were farm land; while the view from the front of the house was actually of the sea, much has changed in the last two hundred plus years. The house was deeded to the Maine Historical Society, in 1901, on the condition that the home be kept as its last occupant, Anne Longfellow Pierce, granddaughter of the original builder, Brigadier General Peleg Wadsworth, famed for fighting in the Revolutionary War, alongside General George Washington, and later serving in Congress, as well as being the grandfather of Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
While we were not permitted to photograph the inside of the house, I thought you might enjoy a stroll through the colonial revival gardens, which current Portlanders find to be a perfect place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and perhaps a bit of poetry.
The Children’s Gate. Originally designed by Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, nephew of the poet, and architect, in his own right; this is a recreation of the gate which was taken down in the 1960’s because of its poor state.
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A place to rest.
A place for our feathered friends to take a drink.
Still bursting with color!
I always enjoy water features in the garden.
Kate sitting in the garden.
Autumn is encroaching.
Lovely!
Me
I love hydrangea!
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Stepping stones, endeed!
Understated beauty
Change is in the air.
For more information, visit: http://www.hwlongfellow.org/
