" We're visiting the fassel cragey Longfellow house all of you heard about Longfellow the poet who wrote among many other things that midnight ride of Paul -- It's known as the -- house because the builders in the mid Georgian period mid seventeen hundreds were. Loyalists colonists who fled here at the beginning of the revolution leaving all their properties leaving the silver on the table. Now the house was headquarters for general George Washington in fact this was all open land back then and his troops were encamped here along that the the land surrounding the house. Longfellow are great poet was. One of the -- preservationists. And he was fortunate to be married to a woman who was an -- and it was -- the father -- who founded the the Woolen -- here in New England who gave -- this historic house as a wedding -- and they proceeded during their lifetime to kind of recreate -- to create an archive and -- to really -- preservationists in the nineteenth century the house was also a magnet for intellectuals from all over America and the world who came here to visit with -- that the great American intellectual. We want to take our tour inside with the fellow who is the the manager in curator here this is possible arms to the National Park Service and his name's Jim -- let's go inside."

" I again. Hi Bob -- well Longfellow house thank you you know house like this I don't know whether to start talking about the architecture are asking questions about the history obviously Arctic the most obvious and look at the staircase -- so wonderful. Which states to be building in the 1759. And is it a double staircase it is it's one of involves their case the front is the most decorative in the back has. Is that is that when a place people caught them but it's also art gallery. Well you see obviously we have people like George Washington question of in this house national as the layers of history you as one residence here -- the appearance -- needs and Longfellow the -- tried to create a shrine to general Washington here right he did Washington lived here from seven -- funds and some six. Went along for live tunes for 1840 -- he created try to Washington with the bus and paint the house was this via the poet's study. -- The mister Longfellow actually Robb moss the poetry and prose in this room. As you come through his signature long felt himself right here so this is a room that's kind of typical of the 1860s. 1860 consent -- this typical. You know this neighborhood and when you look at the -- colors and the other bright red drapes and the taupe walls there they could be. You know could be contemporary definitely definitely and use. Is this a portrait of -- developed this is mister Longfellow it's an opinion is they like of course. If somebody's summer long amazing tell me a little bit about the furniture what about it she airline to see this chair is actually wonderful in the great story to as many think this house do. But this particular chair was built from that would have the spreading chestnut tree mister Longfellow poem called builds blacksmith yes. And an 1876. That you with chopped down east beyond Routh street here. Which sadness long felt so much so that children of Cambridge. Pooled their money and had the wood from the tree meet with chair designed along fills Matthew WPP -- really. Yes that's a great story is actually the the spreading chestnut tree here on the blacksmith shop in the future this picture is painted by a vote and the iris. In 1846. Fabulous story now was this the actual library I heard it was a collector of books. His -- 10000 volumes of follow me because live is next next -- OK so this was the working room and in the actually library right next door exactly. Well it's clearly a library but it also has the feel a very very gracious living room. You know rights and we do have always books from mister Longfellow he spoke of several languages he -- read twelfth. Yes and also we have on the house paintings and sculpture. Work from Italy. From all over the world they did the grand tour of Europe the -- up chorus and in over here we have."

" Some monstrous in Japan friends Bronson is o'clock -- from France as well yeah."

" Now how -- the room mused -- just repository for books the room was uses music come actually reception for people around the world we have people like -- opera Oscar Wilde campaign here. Charles -- often here fabulous piano yes yes the piano was actually off long fills piano. And on this block of south could play the piano and now the rope is an eighteenth century room -- grand paneling and that the moldings in the dental and and this mantelpiece. What is it from the original 1759 construction now it's not this this actually came from another house call an old -- house in Boston."

" The lost with the 46 and mister Longfellow brought this mantle to this house had installed."

" But it's from the seventeen hundred's. Exactly so he was collecting items from the previous entry to that fit into the outer layers of history here -- I -- Well where to next want to -- to the back hallway okay. Where the books are amazing. Jim why would Georgian mansion like this have a front stairs and a back stairs it's it's clearly not service staircase they're both very elaborate. Iowa actually missing the public space and private space being. His being for the family coming back here but the visit would not use the space at all so this is kind of private exactly I see that and this is the formal dining room. -- dining room. And is the table set for dinner. Now lasting effect for dessert table in fact is all the original artifacts from long -- family is he promised wrong. Wouldn't paintings in the -- of what they what is this you're Buddhist altar table that the older son Charles long -- brought back Japan they can seventy on red lacquered metal plaque went so they're bringing back."

" Yeah he actually brought back trunks and trunks of this Japan China."

" Now for the lovely women on the wall okay we actually have about -- or Tehran and long -- wife and his three daughters went here. And -- I'm Appleton which stands systems so they were the two air system this huge textile fortune France. Right and -- parlor it was supposed to be quite famous by incumbents and it. Boy what an extraordinary room -- This is really high Georgian detailing of that. The over mantle on the mantel flanked by the arched doorways and the pile last years this is all would work it's all hand planes and -- Broken -- at the top. What a fabulous from the so probably than the the fanciest Newman house it is and it's now the furnishings certainly don't look eighteenth century and a noted not there reflect the collective Henry long film -- and -- in the and we furniture and paintings here when you're did they move into the tops. They can 43 but so this is when they'd decorated this room."

" Exactly and this is actually the original while people making point six affinity chosen put in the room here. And the room was never changed never changed now and she died tragically in a fire in this house in this memorial to our."

" From one -- so the family maintain the room as she addict. They're kind of and remember exactly how wonder you know also I'm Martha Washington lived here and this is put that her."

" And -- also Martha Washington's power which we've preserved and fanning out -- long fulfills -- action."

" There's that real connection between the Washington. And along fellows and the whole Spirit of preservation in this house exactly now tell me agenda the National Park Service closed the house is it open year round. It is not right now we're close explicitly you know what Nate October for year. And that would be openings -- and I know there's a group called the friends of the Longfellow house or doing a lot to raise funds. For preservation and improvement here is how track right they're important group might not community based and we look for work and for many years."