Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Portland: The Fireside Poet of Maine

by John William Babin, Allan M. Levinsky, Herb Adams (Foreword)

A look at the beloved American poet’s home and family, and a glimpse at the early years of Portland, Maine.   When a former Revolutionary War general named Peleg Wadsworth finished building a two-story brick house on Congress Street in 1786, the “province of Maine” was still considered part of Massachusetts, and he could see the Fore River from his front door. The city would grow up around the structure, as the Wadsworth-Longfellow family flourished and made history within its walls—and in the fabric of young America’s culture and government.   Peleg’s daughter, Zilpah, married Stephen Longfellow IV on the first floor, and they raised their eight children in the home with love and high standards. Their second-eldest son, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, wrote his first childhood poem there before going on to pen great classics including “Paul Revere’s Ride” and Evangeline. Young Henry also watched his father help craft the Maine Constitution, and experienced revolutionary ideals of his home city.   This book takes you inside the historic Longfellow House—and lets you explore the city that shaped a renowned American poet.  Includes photos and illustrations

147 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 4, 2014

Reviews

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful telling of the early life of HWL. I visited the HWL home in Portland and the author signed my copy. This book is filled with wonderful historical information, maps, quotes and images from the period and is an easy read.

[Trish Remley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visited the Longfellow's childhood home in Portland and wanted to learn a little bit more.

[Cathyann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, but it wasn’t what I expected; disappointing.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having had the pleasure of touring the Wadsworth-Longfellow House earlier this summer (but then not giving myself time to get lost in the adjacent Maine Historical Society), I found this book a delightful refresher on the lives of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his family. I especially liked the way the author interwove discussion of the growth and development of the city of Portland to help me best appreciate the times in which he lived, as well as the way he interspersed Longfellow's poems throughout the text.

An interesting side note: It was mentioned that Longfellow was a classmate of Nathaniel Hawthorne and that Hawthorne had changed the spelling of his name to separate himself from his ancestor Salem Witch Trial Judge John Hathorne. It is my understanding that Longfellow's 4th GGM was Anne Sewell Longfellow, sister of Judge Samuel Sewell, the Salem Witch Trial Judge who later apologized for his actions. Their parents were the Rev Henry Sewell and Jane Dummer who were among the First Settlers of Newbury, Mass.

I would recommend this book to YA and adult readers interested in learning more about "The Fireside Poet of Maine."

[Dollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Longfellow was, and still is, the fireside poet of Maine. I know a lot about Longfellow’s later life, but not so much about his life as a child, so I found this short biography of his early years very interesting. This book also had lots of history about the city of Portland and the state of Maine, which I always enjoy learning more about. From the writing in this book and the letters, Longfellow sounds as thought he may have been one of the greatest sons any Portland parent ever had. He was loving to his siblings, as well as creative and intelligent. This book contains many of the letters between Henry and his parents and siblings, which were great to read. Even better, it contained some of his early poems I’d never read before. I’ve loved his poetry since I was a child. There’s no other American poet I would rather read. His poem The Children’s Hour is my favorite because it’s such a beautiful expression of a parent’s love for their children. All his poems are wonderful, but that one pierces my heart with love every time I read it. Whether you're a Longfellow fan or not, this short book is well worth reading.

[LeslieandJoe LaCava · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was a little choppy with facts about Longfellow intertwined with facts about Portland or Maine, that seemed unrelated. Also, many typos. The most disturbing were dates - 1900 used instead of 1800. Does anyone proofread? The italicized passages are in a very small font, and are more difficult to read for one with older eyes.