April 2024
Evacuation Day Lecture:
The Stories of the Washington Elm
Past Event: Thursday, March 14 | 6:00-7:00 PM
J. L. Bell
In-person event at 105 Brattle Street –
Cambridge Common has multiple monuments to the “Washington Elm,” a tree held up (eventually by steel rods) as a symbol of American patriotism. Henry W. Longfellow is said to have composed the text on one of those markers: “Under this tree WASHINGTON first took command of the American Army, July 3, 1775.” After the elm finally collapsed in 1923, more skeptical researchers concluded that its fame was based on little more than legend. In this talk, historian and author J. L. Bell digs into how the Washington Elm came to be celebrated, what its story says about the national memory of the Revolution, and why we really should remember this tree.
J.L. Bell presents the Washington Elm.
Washington Elm Artifacts
“The big cylinder (painted black) was loaned by a neighbor. She told me it came with her house, so she sees it as belonging to the house. It has a copper label identifying it as part of the tree distributed by the city in 1924, the year after the tree fell.
The small ring was just sent to the Longfellow–Washington site by History Cambridge.” – J.L. Bell
Photo by John Bell
2024 Stanley Paterson Research Fellowship –
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Application Deadline: April 15, 2025 CLOSED
The Friends of Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters are now accepting applications for the 2024 Stanley Paterson Research Fellowship.
The Paterson Fellowship supports research by scholars using the archives and collections at Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA. The fellowship consists of a $1,600 stipend to support expenses for research in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Past Fellows have studied a broad range of topics, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s influences and poetic career, architecture and design from Colonial Cambridge to the Colonial Revival, and the motivations and interests of gay and lesbian historic preservationists in the 20th century. These projects draw on the surprisingly diverse and wide-ranging archival material related to the extended Longfellow family held by Longfellow House–Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site.
The 2024 Fellowship Call for Entries has more information and directions on how to apply. Applications are due on April 15, 2024, with notification to applicants on May 3, 2024.
We Support The National Park Service
Longfellow's Study Conservation
Summer Poetry Festival
Live Music on the Lawn
Research Fellowship
Garden Enhancements
Community Events
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News
The Friends are here for this hallowed ground, so that in future generations new meanings will emerge, old truths become more evident, and fascinating moments of history reveal themselves.
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Projects
This summer, with the generous help of the Americana Corner Foundation, the Friends and the National Park Service completed another stage in our project of conserving the furnishings in Henry W. Longfellow’s study.
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Events
All events at the house are free to the public. See all of the upcoming events and find schedule information for house tours at the Longfellow House–Washington’s HQ National Historic Site.
Thankful for Our Partners and Supporters
New England Poetry Club
