Administrative History: Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site

The purpose of this study is to document the establishment and management of the park to inform public programming and future interpretive exhibits available to the public. This study will also increase knowledge and understanding of public history by academic historians and OAH professionals. Through this study of the parkâ¿¿s management, the current management team hopes to gain a better understanding of how the NPSâ¿¿s management philosophy of the site has changed over time. In particular, the park seeks to gain insight into the perception of the value/purpose of the site as perceived by each management team, how the NPS has changed is presentation/interpretation of the home over time and the various preservation rationales applied to the home. By understanding how the home has been managed in the past, we hope to better understand the context and intent of prior decisions and make decisions for the future grounded in knowledge of past management practices. The public purpose and benefit of this project is to assist its multiple constituencies, partners, and stakeholders, and to understand the historical contexts for many of the resource stewardship and interpretive issues that continue to affect these partners and communities.