Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Next to the library in downtown Portland, ME there is an old red brick house which was once Henry Longfellow's. It turns out this famous poet lived in Portland for much of his life and even wrote about Portland in his poem "My Lost Youth" - just as uplifting as it sounds! I read through many of his works last night and my favorite was "The Arrow and the Song" which should bring a smile to your face. There are multiple sites dedicated to Longfellow and he was quite the guy. Interestingly, he graduated from Maine's first college, Bowdoin and he graduated with Nathanial Hawthorn.

Note in the picture above that Longfellow grew a huge sweet beard to cover the scars and burns he suffered trying to save his wife from a house fire.