Wadsworth House

Wadsworth House is the home of the Marshal’s Office

Built in 1726-1727 for the president of Harvard, Benjamin Wadsworth (for whom the house is named), Wadsworth House is the second oldest building at Harvard (the first being Massachusetts Hall) and has a long and complex history. The house – a yellow colonial – is located at 1341 Massachusetts Avenue, right inside the Class of 1857 gate. 

Today, the building houses the offices of the University Marshal, Commencement, and colleagues in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. 

Aerial view of Wadsworth House in the summer

A Brief History

Placard recognizing Titus, Venus, Juba, & Bilhah displayed outside of Wadsworth House

1700s

Four enslaved people – Titus, Venus, Bilhah, and Juba – lived and worked in Wadsworth House. On April 6, 2016, Harvard President Drew Faust unveiled a plaque on the side of Wadsworth House to memorialize them. President Faust was joined by civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis to mark the occasion. Work is underway to learn more about their lives and stories, and to bring those stories to life inside Wadsworth House. 

Croswell, Andrew, 1778-1858. A View of Harvard College, 1796. HUV 2196, Harvard University Archives.

1726

Newly elected President Benjamin Wadsworth wanted to live on campus. Afraid that Wadsworth would resign, the General Court donated a thousand  pounds  to build “a  handsome wooden dwelling-house, barn and outhouse for the reception and  accommodation  of the President of Harvard College.” This was the start of over a century of Harvard Presidents living in Wadsworth House.  

Washington taking command of the American Army at Cambridge Massachusetts – July 3, 1775

1775

Samuel Langdon was President of Harvard College at the time when General George Washington set up his first headquarters in Wadsworth House. From there, on July 3, 1775, Washington rode out to the Cambridge Common to take command of the Revolutionary troops. 

Many notable figures visited General Washington while he resided at Wadsworth House, including Abigail Adams and future speaker of the Massachusetts House James Warren. 

It is also said that the plans to oust King George from Boston took form in Wadsworth House’s Parlor. The General eventually took up more permanent residence at Vassall House, on what is now Brattle Street, and later the home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (now a National Historic Site; learn about Washington’s time in Cambridge). 

Print of Wadsworth House, Harper's Magazine, February 1876

1849

President Jared Sparks decided to stay in his nearby home.  After that, Wadsworth House took in student boarders (including Ralph Waldo Emerson ’21) and visiting preachers, among others.

Wadsworth House, Cambridge, Mass. (1903) Image: New York Public Library Digital Collections

1900s

In the 1900s, Wadsworth House was in transition, shifting from a living space on campus to a place of work for many staff and faculty at Harvard. As part of the last cohort to live in the house, in the early 1900s the house was made headquarters for visiting and resident preachers. The physical structure also changed during this time, with additions made until the 1950s. Offices such as the Harvard Alumni Association and Commencement offices, in addition to faculty offices, moved permanently to Wadsworth in the 20th century.

Wadsworth House on a sunny day

Wadsworth House Today

In addition to being the home of the Marshal’s Office and Commencement Office, Wadsworth is the work home of distinguished faculty and administrative offices within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. As part of a collaboration with the University Library, the Marshal’s Office is undertaking a history project to better understand the stories and history of who lived and worked in Wadsworth and to bring their stories to life inside the building.