George Washington in Cambridge, MA

George Washington slept here. He spent a good deal of time in Massachusetts while he was still a general, setting up headquarters in Cambridge while battling for control of Boston during the American Revolutionary War.

After the poetic rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes from Boston to Lexington, the shot heard round the world, and the British soldiers' retreat from Concord to Boston more than 200 years ago, the Revolutionary War was underway. Next came the less romantic part - building an effective army from a group of farmers. This task fell to General George Washington, who stayed in Cambridge for eight months while fighting the British stationed in Boston and planning war strategy.

Washington had arrived in Cambridge July 3, 1775, after being appointed commander-in-chief by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. He took command of the army and rallied the troops on Cambridge Common under what would become a famous elm tree. The tree has since been replaced, but the spot is still marked.

Cambridge at that time was mostly a farming community of about 800 people, centered around the area of the common and Harvard College. A group of British loyalists lived in elegant homes along Brattle Street, a road right off the common. The row of mansions became known as Tory Row. Those loyalists, fearing for their safety, left about the same time as Washington's arrival. Washington stayed in Cambridge from that July until the following March, at which time the Colonists were finally successful in driving the British out of Boston. Washington's first couple of weeks in Cambridge were spent lodging in the Wadsworth House, now the residence of Harvard University's presidents. He then moved to what is known as the Longfellow House on Brattle Street, just around the corner from Cambridge Common. Longfellow House became the Colonial Army headquarters for the first few months of the conflict. The house eventually was named after another famous resident - poet Henry Wordsworth Longfellow.

Getting There

The spot where George Washington first rallied the troops is on Cambridge Common, right by Harvard Square and Harvard University. Take I-95 to Route 2 east, and follow Route 2 to the end, bearing left until it connects to Massachusetts Avenue. Take a right onto Masschusetts Avenue, heading east, for a couple of miles until you reach Harvard University. The common will be on your right. Circle around the common, or check the side streets and nearby garages for parking. The Longfellow House on Brattle Street, a few houses away from the common, on the opposite side of the common from Harvard Square.

Web Links

Cambridge Office for Tourism

Author: C. Danko
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