Contributed by City of Portland - Planning & Development
- Item 148230
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Description
Taken on a Saturday in July, this photograph of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s birthplace, on the corner of Fore and Hancock Streets in Portland, affords a view of an Old Port neighborhood in 1887. Three women in summer dresses are gathered by the front steps, in the center foreground, while two girls converse on the sidewalk nearby. Another child, in a broad-brimmed hat sits on the Hancock Street sidewalk, to the left. In the background, neighboring homes in wooded lots are visible.
Built between 1786-1791, the three-story Federal-style house, with four chimneys, was the home of Captain Samuel Stephenson, whose wife, Abigail, was the sister of Longfellow's father, Stephen. The poet was born here in 1807. The house was demolished in 1955, to make way for local business. This photograph was included in an album owned by William S. Edwards, a civil engineer for the City of Portland.
About This Item
- Title: Birthplace of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Portland, 1887
- Creator: William S. Edwards
- Creation Date: 1887-07-09
- Subject Date: 1887-07-09
- Location: Portland, Cumberland County, ME
- Media: Photographic Print
- Dimensions: 12.7 cm x 17.8 cm
- Collection: Edwards Album
- Object Type: Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Fore Street (Portland, Me.)
- Hancock Street (Portland, Me.)
- Historic buildings--Maine--Portland
- Historic sites--Maine--Portland
- Houses--Maine--Portland
- Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882
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For more information about this item, contact:
City of Portland - Planning & Development389 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 756-8023
Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.
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