Tag Archives: poet

We solved the mystery of why Portland’s statue is missing his scarf. And we fixed it.

December 19, 2017Homebronze, christmas, henry, holiday, longfellow, poem, poet, scarfcold, statue, wadsworth

By Troy R. Bennett

A secretive group has been giving Longfellow a scarf and present every year since 1999.

When he died, kids paid for his statue with pocket change

February 27, 2017Historylongfellow, maine, poet, poetry, portland, this week in portland history

By Troy R. Bennett

An albumen print photograph of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, probably taken in 1868 when he was in London. Photo courtesy of Maine Memory Network item 4114

School children all over New England collected $17,000 in pennies, nickels and dimes. Their names are in a sealed box, somewhere within the pedestal.

Longfellow’s parents are missing from their Portland tomb

September 30, 2016History, Homelongfellow, maine, parents, permanent portlander, poet, portland, tomb empty

By Troy R. Bennett

The Longfellow family tomb in Portland's Western Cemetery was though to house Stephen and Zilpha Longfellow, parents of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. But when the tomb was opened in 1986, it was found to be empty. The whereabouts of the family remains is unknown. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

In 1986, city workers entered the tomb while replacing the old iron gate and preparing to brick-up the door. The tomb was empty.