Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) is one of America's most recognized and best–loved poets. He had a major impact on American culture and literature, and his words, characters, images, and ideas fill our language and cultural landscape to this day.
On the 200th anniversary of Longfellow's birth in 2007, we celebrated the life and achievements of the boy from Maine who became America's most beloved poet.
Throughout 2007, the Maine Historical Society and organizations around Maine hosted exhibits, lectures, trips, programs, and other events that explored Longfellow's poetry and legacy. Explore the links below to see how the public participated in the Celebration.
A listing of programs that took place at MHS and around the state to commemorate the bicentennial of Longfellow's birth.
Responding to Longfellow: Visit the Gallery
In 2007, writers, students, public figures, artists, and other people throughout Maine wrote and created art in response to Longfellow. We invited the public to join and express their thoughts about Longfellow through poetry, letters, reflections, drawings, readings, and/or other media. See the responses here.