Maine Memory Network

This scene shows the sidewalk in front of the Morton Block, just to the west of the Wadsworth-Longfellow house, with a view to the old City Hall in Market Square.

Concurrent with Portland's growth, Anne Pierce's brother Henry Wadsworth Longfellow achieved huge international success and acclaim as a poet.

Anne resisted the opportunity to introduce modern technology into her home. Instead she embraced a sentimental view of the house and the family history that was strongly present in every room.

Because the house was a rare residential survivor amongst the modern commercial blocks lining Congress Street, Anne and her family referred to it as the "Old Original."