Charles Dana Gibson, the grandfather of the celebrated artist of the same name, married Abby DeWolf, a member of the town's most prominent family, and acquired a parcel of the Henry DeWolf farm at the edge of town. On it he built this feisty steep-roofed Gothic cottage. Although it has lost its bargeboard trim and original porch, Longfield is otherwise well preserved, including its eclectic interiors. Its gardener's cottage, a simple board-and-batten affair, was subsequently moved to 1222 Hope Street.

Thus the visitor enters Bristol by encountering the names of DeWolf and Warren, the patrons and architect who contributed more to the physical form of the town than any other figures.