89–010 

Calendar No. 291 

111TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 111–141 

LONGFELLOW HOUSE—WASHINGTON’S HEADQUARTERS 

NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE 

MARCH 2, 2010.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. BINGAMAN, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 1405] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 1405) to redesignate the Longfellow National 

Historic Site, Massachusetts, as the ‘‘Longfellow House—Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site’’, having considered the 

same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of S. 1405 is to redesignate the Longfellow National 

Historic Site in Massachusetts as the Longfellow House—Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

The Longfellow National Historic Site located in Cambridge, 

Massachusetts, preserves and tells the story of famed American 

poet and writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow and his 

wife Frances Appleton were given the home as a wedding gift and 

Longfellow lived there from 1843 until his death in 1882. The 

structure serves as an outstanding example of New England colonial architecture and it, the grounds, and the furnishings are all 

well preserved. 

The historical site also served as George Washington’s headquarters during the siege of Boston in 1775 and 1776. The house 

had been abandoned in the early stages of the war by the owner 

who sympathized with the British. It was later chosen by George 

Washington as his first headquarters during the Revolutionary 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with REPORTS
2 

War. Washington and his officers moved in soon after he assumed 

command of the Continental Army in July, 1775. The house was 

occupied by Washington until April. 

S. 1405 redesignates the national historic site as the Longfellow 

House—Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, which 

will more accurately describe a significant component of the site’s 

history. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 1405 was introduced on July 7, 2009, by Senators Kennedy 

and Kerry. Senator Kirk is a cosponsor. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on the bill on November 4, 2009. At 

its business meeting on December 16, 2009, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 1405 favorably reported 

without amendment. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on December 16, 2009, by a voice vote of a quorum 

present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 1405. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 contains the short title for the bill, the ‘‘Longfellow 

House—Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site Designation Act.’’ 

Section 2 redesignates the Longfellow National Historic Site in 

Cambridge, Massachusetts, as the Longfellow House—Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, and provides that any 

reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other 

record of the United States to the Longfellow National Historic Site 

shall be considered to be a reference to the Longfellow House— 

Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of costs of this measure has been provided 

by the Congressional Budget Office: 

S. 1405—Longfellow House—Washington’s Headquarters National 

Historic Site Designation Act 

S. 1405 would rename the Longfellow National Historic Site, located in Massachusetts, the Longfellow House—Washington’s 

Headquarters National Historic Site. CBO estimates that implementing the name change would have no significant effect on the 

federal budget. Enacting S. 1405 would not affect direct spending 

or revenues. 

The legislation contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 

mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 

would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director 

for Budget Analysis. 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with REPORTS
3 

REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION

In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following evaluation 

of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in carrying out 

S. 1405. 

The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of imposing 

Government-established standards or significant economic responsibilities on private individuals and businesses. 

No personal information would be collected in administering the 

program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal privacy. 

Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the enactment of S. 1405, as ordered reported. 

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

S. 1405, as reported, does not contain any congressionally directed spending items, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

The testimony provided by the National Park Service at the November 4, 2009, Subcommittee hearing on S. 1405 follows: 

STATEMENT OF KATHERINE H. STEVENSON, ASSISTANT DI- RECTOR, BUSINESS SERVICES, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to provide 

the Department of the Interior’s views on S. 1405 to redesignate the Longfellow National Historic Site in Massachusetts as the Longfellow House-Washington Headquarters 

National Historic Site. 

The Department supports enactment of this legislation. 

On June 16, 1775, George Washington accepted the appointment of the Continental Congress as commander of 

the yet-to-be-formed Continental Army. He immediately 

journeyed north to take command of New England militia 

troops on July 3, 1775, and conduct a siege of British-held 

Boston, Massachusetts. A house, abandoned by Loyalist 

John Vassall, on Brattle Street in Cambridge became his 

headquarters for nine months during the conflict. Vassall 

had been forced to flee the house shortly after the Battles 

of Lexington and Concord. Washington’s wife Martha, 

along with other family members and servants from Virginia, joined him there for four of those months. 

From a ground floor office in the house, Washington 

struggled with the numerous problems of his new command. Among these were defending the region against the 

well-trained British troops occupying Boston, bringing discipline to the untrained militia, and supplying his army 

with arms and the accoutrements of war. It was here, too, 

that he gave command to Benedict Arnold of a small force 

to attack Quebec over the mountains of Maine and confronted Dr. Benjamin Church, a patriot leader, with evidence that he was a British spy. From Cambridge, Washington provided for the development of a network of spies 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with REPORTS
4 

in Boston to report on British plans and movements. He 

also approved the arming and use of vessels to confront 

British supply ships. 

The siege proved to be successful and the British withdrew from Boston without the destruction of lives and 

property that a major battle would have caused. For his efforts, Washington received a medal from Congress and an 

honorary degree from Harvard. 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his wife Fanny received the house on Brattle Street as a wedding gift from 

his wife’s father in 1843. Both expressed pride in owning 

the house that had been Washington’s headquarters. 

Fanny Longfellow wrote: 

‘‘. . . we are full of plans and projects with no desire, however, to change a feature of the old countenance which Washington has rendered sacred.’’ 

Longfellow relished conducting tours of the house when 

tourists would inquire about the period when it was Washington’s headquarters. The Longfellows also collected 

Washington memorabilia, which are prominent among the 

furnishings they left and which are preserved today at the 

national historic site. 

Public Law 92–475, which authorized the establishment 

of the national historic site in 1972, recognized the role 

that the house played as the headquarters of General 

George Washington during the siege of Boston between 

1775 and 1776. Redesignation of the national historic site 

will better enable visitors to identify the importance of the 

full history of the resource and appreciate Longfellow’s 

veneration of George Washington. 

The appropriateness of redesignating the name of the 

national historic site was perhaps best expressed by Henry 

Wadsworth Longfellow, himself, from the same ground 

floor office used by Washington. In 1845, in his poem entitled ‘‘To a Child’’, he wrote this passage: 

Once, ah, once, within these walls, 

One whom memory oft recalls, 

The Father of his Country, dwelt. 

And yonder meadows broad and damp 

The fires of the besieging camp 

Encircled with a burning belt. 

Up and down these echoing stairs, 

Heavy with the weight of cares, 

Sounded his majestic tread; 

Yes, within this very room 

Sat he in those hours of gloom, 

Weary both in heart and head. 

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my testimony. I would be 

pleased to answer any questions you or members of the 

committee may have regarding the proposed redesignation. 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with REPORTS
5 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 

Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no 

changes in existing law are made by the bill S. 1405, as 

ordered reported. 

Æ 


jbell on DSKDVH8Z91PROD with REPORTS