Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-08-22
LONCFELLOW HOME
/. q. HUTCHINSON DESCRIBES
PLACE WHERE POET SPENT
HIS EARLY LIFE
First Brick House Of It's Kind In Port
land, Maine-Was Built in 1856 by
General Peleg Observation-Disclosures
He Wrote Many Poems.

General Peie9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
He Wrote Many Poems.
Chebeaque Island. Me.
August Is, 1905.
| 1t would be beyond hope, In few
letters, to relate an account of the in
Vulnerable matters of observation in
this part of the country, so graciously
endowed by the Giver of all good In its
beauties of land and water, and forest
and island, and city and town, and
character of people, which bring Joy,
admiration and reverence. Therefore.
will try to write letter on one
topic-the early home of one Of the
great founders of American literature.
One place of unusual reverence in
Portland is the home of Longfellow,
where he lived from eight months old
till he grew to young manhood. He was
born in the family of an uncle while
this home was in the ownership of his
fathers and mothers immediate
people 1t is a plain brick house, the
first of it's kind in Portland His grand
father, General Peleg Wadsworth, built
it in 1856 Several of Longfellow's
ancestors on the maternal side were
born here, all, more or less, distin-
guished for patriotic devotion to the
early cause Of their country, and re-
markable in character and intelli-
, gence, one having been an officer in
the army, the other in the
navy. This house became the home
of Hon. Stephen Longfellow and wife,
Zelpah Wadsworth, the poets parents.
: His parents were married here, and
six of the children were born here
t and from the parlor five were buried as
l also were the father and mother. Long
!, fellow went to school here In Portland
in his tender years till old enough tc
!, enter Bowdoin college, whence he
: graduated. Soon thereafter he went
! to Europe to study for a few years
I. and on his return, as young profes
sor, he took up the genial work of in
!, structor in modern languages at Har
n ward, Cambridge. Mass, where he con
tinued to make his home, excepting {
!, few sojourns abroad.
y !, Many Objects Of Interest.
He never forgot his Portland home
+ and never failed during his life to visi
& it at short intervals. Here, too. he re
a ceived his first inspirations and wrot
several of his poems. The house Il
). full Of objects of interest which be
Il longed to the Wadsworths and tn
Longfellows, and good many of tn
# original manuscripts of his earl
# poems and writings, in which, too, !
+ evident his ardent love Of his nativ
home. One can only recount In lie,
ter few of those interesting object
= in the collection, but enough to affor
. true impression Of this place Whlc
is so worthily preserved.
n A house of three stories quite 10,
'r ceilings, and old fashioned, with
e. hall through the center, and stairwa
ascending to the top. Old furniture l
L. the parlor, and in all the rooms, muc
Or of it mahogany. Very plain furnitur
IS in the back rooms One Chippendal
n chair was especially noticeable. III
father was lawyer and at one tim
II. member of congress. His law oftic
d. was in his home, first room to tn
to right as the hall is entered, the parle
#. being the first room to the left as
enter the hall Still off the off1c
:. room is little one story brick room
~ very narrow. On inquiry why this roo
" was needed, we were informed th'
" y. Mrs. Longfellow objected to the your
=. law students of her husband comir
" into the main hall to enter the la
~ office for study and recitation; TIL
M she did not believe 1T was best whe
her household possessed SO mar
young daughters; therefore, the judt
had to build the little one story ado
ton to the corner next to, and Wi
nd an opening into the law office. Tn
famous old house Is now in the dense
RS business part of the city and Is pr
mi served by the Maine Historical socie
IT. to whom it was given by Anne Lon
ty fellow Pierce and where she died
d 1901, aged SO years.
20 Where He Wrote "Rainy Day"
'm So when you enter this house no
es. you cheerfully pay your tyenty-f
BIS cents, and find one intelligent wom
,ct attendant in each room, all of viii
for have many articles, which at o
of time, were the property. either OF t
les Wadsworths, Longfellows or Pierc
in In the front room on the second f1c
EN- to the left, is a perfectly rounded tai
me on which Longfellow wrote some
"a "a his most original and immortalizi
,eG poems, either while on visit to
ht- paternal roof, or while he was an
The mate of it, In the dining room ba
ter of the parlor is an old desk. FRI
est this room is a good view of Casco b
ply and here, too, at this desk the pc
an an looking over the bay on rainy d
s gu wrote his Rainy Day." and outside
the the window is the grape vine REFER
ons to in this poem.
md The house is within ten feet OF
md street, low fence, with gate, int
1t yening. Here are four mighty e
er- trees with great branches extendi
ny over the roof of the house. In c
lad room Of the house are the sword,
fiji tolls and other ancient relics of G
the Peleg Wadsworth, stern old char
oe ter.
rue 6eautrui 9ua''. ao"o'
In every room Of the first and seco