Franklin Simmons began the design and the construction of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Memorial in 1885, three years after the poets death. The pedestal was designed by Francis H. Fassette. The bronze statue depicts Longfellow seated in a chair with a stack of books under it. Longfellow is wearing an overcoat, and a cape is draped over his lap and one shoulder. One hand holds a manuscript while the poet gazes at the passersby. The statue is located on the corner of State and Congress in the West End neighborhood of Portland.
