Learn all about the history of Maine with a visit to the Maine Historical Society. Founded in 1922 and resting in the heart of the bustling Congress Street in downtown Portland’s arts district, the Society is a burgeoning museum that is home to an excellent library that is used as a national educational resource.

The Maine Historical Society (MHS) and museum is comprised of the Wadsworth–Longfellow House and Longfellow Garden, the MHS Research Library, the Maine Historical Society Museum and Store and the Maine Memory Network, which is a digital museum through which the MHS runs its educational programs. The Society is based on a campus across from Monument Square and is open to the public year-round.

Wadsworth-Longfellow House
Built in 1785 by General Peleg Wadsworth, the Wadsworth-Longfellow House is a historic house and museum that is operated by the Maine Historical Society and is open to the public. Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1962, the house is not only historically significant being the oldest standing structure on the Portland peninsula, but was also the childhood home of renowned American poet Henry Wadsworth.

The house documents the lives of four generations of the Wadsworth and Longfellow families, who played a significant role in the political, literary, and cultural life of New England and the United States. The house itself is an outstanding example of New England's architectural style at the time while its furnishings, artifacts and items illustrate changes in style, technology, and attitude over the 18th and 19th centuries.

Maine Historical Society & Wadsworth-Longfellow House , 489 Congress Street, Portland, Maine 04101, Phone: 207-774–1822

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