Reviews of Maine Historical Society and the Wadsworth-Longfellow House (Museum)

GETINCAMO

Very knowledgeable staff and a good historical expierence

Andrew Mass

Awesome

Erik C. Jorgensen

Maine is lucky indeed to have such a place! A great museum.

Tim L

Took a tour of the Longfellow House. The docent was very informative and knowledgeable. The house was a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era. Anyone who loves historical houses will love the Longfellow House.

Annabeth Star

A great historical trip right in downtown Portland. Take a tour or just wander through the public gardens. The tours of the house are great and the restoration was magnificent.

LuAnn Thatcher

This is a must see! Thank you to the Wonderful staff and to the Maine Historical Society!! What a jewel of a stop!!!

Martha Kimball

The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. They also have a great selection of books about Maine.

Lynne Holland

Nice library. The folks that work there are knowledgable.

Mel Peterman

Great house and grounds. The 3rd floor is not accessible for tours.

Don Sipler

We really enjoyed the tour. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly.

Judith Whiting

Museum is great. Gift shop staff needs attitude adjustment.

somkietr rojanasathit

It is interesting to see how the wealthy lived in early 1800s. There are many photos and paintings of Longfellow and his family. There is a docent to guide and show you around. Interesting to see the bed warmer. It is like a popcorn popper but they put burning coal inside and move around over the bed to warm it before lying in bed. There are not many demonstration of his life or his work.

Rod Harmon

Love the Longfellow House, but once you've seen it once, there's really no need to go a second time. Frankly, we didn't find the membership very cost-effective -- you get access to the library, but unless you're interested in researching Maine genealogy, there's not much for the casual history buff that you can't readily find elsewhere. The dissemination of information regarding special exhibits and events also left a lot to be desired -- I often found out about them long before receiving the email newsletter, and the blog is only updated once a month or so. Go for the Longfellow House at least once, but avoid the annual membership fees.

Wendy Craig-Payne

Tried twice to get in here! They have very limited hours for self guided tours and you don't know that beforehand!

Alan Lefebvre

Tour guides very knowledgeable and helpful. Comfortable place to visit.

Tim Hawks

Great tour of Portland

Susan Treat

Knowledgeable, friendly staff and beautifully preserved home full of authentic furniture and artifacts. Especially see the samplers on the wall. The bookstore was great, too, not just a gift shop but well stocked with Maine and Longfellow books.

G Aquino

We wanted to visit a museum in Portland that is focused on local history and this was the only one that fit the bill. It was small but quite interesting. It gave us a glimpse of Maine’s past and present through two exhibitions. The first, called “Trade Banners and the Crafts That Built Maine” presented the various trade associations from the mid-1800s, whose collective output was vital to the state’s economy. The second, called “Spark! Maine ART Stories”, showcased the work of contemporary local artists and what Maine means to them. The museum has a nice gift shop offering coffee table books and souvenirs. We stayed for an hour.

Doug Norton

Like going back in time and Living Small and smart. That Way they where .

Deeleen Sawyer

This is the outside of the childhood home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which begins a detailed and informative tour about his life and family. Along with that in the Maine historical society, you can also see and hear a lot about the native American tribes that live in Maine. Both were well worth the time and money

Brian Arborio

Enjoyed

Tristan Deyoung

Rich and relevant. Great exhibit and love the house! Very interesting Museum Store with many electic book titles and gifts.

Ed Tatton

$8 for adults or $7 if you're a AAA member for the museum, this didn't include a tour of the house. The museum includes great photos and lithographs from the inception of Portland Maine until today. You also get access to a historical photo collection next door which contains some great early photos of the city and its residents. There is a great little garden behind the house that's free to visitors.

Christine whitmore

Love

Rebecca Camerato

This was a really great introduction to the history of Maine, and the estasment of Portland. The guides and museum shop attendant was very knowledgable and friendly. I highly suggest checking out the collection of letters and Declaration of Independence.

Michelle

Make sure to take the guided tour.

Cheryl Delisle

Do much more than I thought. I think I have found my new haunt.

S M K

Always a top notch museum experience here. I viewed the current exhibit about the Wabanaki native people of the area. What a great look at native people, the truth about colonizing and the tribes’ work to evolve, yet maintain their culture. Beautiful woven baskets and their significance to the area’s indigenous tribes. Finally, a well done display of the evolution to modern day native interpretation of style as seen through a native two spirit lens. A well rounded and inclusive exhibit showing an honest look at Maine’s history and future.

Heather Harmon

Only one exhibit open but it was ok

jazz shaw

Always worth a visit

Julia Miller

Great exhibit on Wabanaki People. Bringing light into Maine's dark times ♡

Greg Luther

Like a Shelburne Museum on the Kennebec.

Neil Ashton

A not-to-be-missed piece of America in downtown Portland is this place that was the boyhood home of one of the great writers. The home has been carefully protected to the same way it looked when the family lived there. There are many unique touches to look for. Be sure to ask the docents if you don't recognize something. Sometimes common household items were different 200 years ago. It's hard to believe this was a small farm with the bustle of a modern city all around. Be sure to take in the gardens! And be sure to go into the museum as there are many things about Maine that your won't see in the home.

Alexander Genkin

Thematic exibits fairly interesting. Not much to learn about history of Maine or Portland.

Thomas M

It's our History....

Adam Kerns

Great tour! House is full of the original furnishings and just as it was when Longfellow wrote his poems there. Highly recommended.

Melinda G.

We like to visit a historical society whenever we get a chance because we like learning about the community's history. There's a great food exhibit in the gallery that was really interesting and informative. You can even turn into a Portland Italian sandwich which is obviously for kids, but naturally I couldn't resist. You can also visit the Wadsworth-Longfellow House next door.

A Hattaway

A wonderful museum that truly cares about it's subjects.

James Doyle

It pains me to rate such an important resource of American history and literature so low, but the Longfellow House in Portland, Maine is terribly mismanaged with a very bad, outdated, and misleading website. One of the docents I met while exploring the house was excellent, but the others were just going through the motions, and even rude. I was instructed to download an app as the tour was somehow not available, despite the hefty price tag of $15 per adult. When I showed the app to one of the staff and asked, "Is this it?" he responded, "I can't see that" and just ignored me. Very disappointing experience.

AJ Stangl

The garden was free and peaceful

Adrienne Kolb

Historic home of H.W. Longfellow. Informed guides, pretty gardens, nice gift shop and exhibits.

Julie Price

A beautiful garden lovingly cared for by volunteers. Thank you!

brett saltzman

Did not take tour but walked around garden and house. Hopefully will return to tour some day

Sabre Fitzgerald

Unforgettable experience

Sharon Bollinger

They only offered tours to see the house. We were short on time and the wait was too long for the next tour. We could only get pictures of the outside.

Rocco Mandaglio

Sadly went in March. There was nothing on display except two glass cases with a couple medical items in each. Not worth it. Hopefully it's better during peak times

Mr. Ages

Wonderful exhibits, many good reference books for sale, membership is well worth it should you choose to join.

Melanie Casper

Loved the woodsworth-longfellow house. Friendly employees at house and store. Horrible parking in the city though

Drake Besheer

Nice gift shop and interesting old house, well worth taking a tour.

Benedict Cassie

What a hidden gem in the downtown Portland area. If you like history I really think you should check this out. The people working are friendly and very knowledgeable.

Kate Savidge

I went today as a part of my class for MECA. We saw the exhibit on the Wabanaki people. It was a fantastic exhibit. The music playing softly in the background as we walked through the exhibit gave us a taste of their native language. The history of the Wabanaki was shown in maps, historical articles, artwork, basketry and photographs. This was my first visit to the Maine Historical Society. I look forward to going again.

leslie

Real history

Ryan Fisk

Adjacent to the Maine Historical Society building, the Longfellow house is accessible only via an hour-long guided tour. Admission to the tour is $10 with a AAA discount, which also grants you access to a small civil war museum with highlights on Maine's involvement in the war. Our tour guide was Terri, who was clearly well-versed (pun intended) on Wadsworth Longfellow's poetry, slinging a few rhymes throughout our tour. She always had a smile on her face and was genuinely interested in the history of the house and of the surrounding area. Maybe not a "must-do" but it's certainly a destination that's unique to Portland, and a great way to toss in some history amongst a day of shopping and dining around beautiful Portland.

Deborah Zak

Loved it ....learning about the Wadsworth Longfellow house and family

Raymond Gagnon

Excellent research library and unique museum.

William Higgins

Presentations are good

David Cox

Henry wadsworth longfellow ancestral home, the docents are full of great tales and history. My wife and i enjoyed the tour. The museum has fascinating collections of stories and artifacts from local native Americans, along with how terribly they were treated and the the broken treatises. Very interesting information concerning the importance of wampum belts and their significants

Natosha Melton

We really enjoyed our visit. It is a gorgeous place. Kudos to the staff who put their hilarious spin on the "do not touch" signs! I pretty much went on a treasure hunt, looking for one in each room! Our guide was wonderful,too.

Steven Newman

I'd go back on any trip to Portland where I have more than a few hours downtown.