Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site

by Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe lived in Philadelphia between 1838 and 1844, residing in this house during his last 18 months here. Poe wrote several of his most famous works while in Philadelphia, including The Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell-Tale Heart. After Poe's death in 1849, an unscrupulous biography by a literary colleague-turned-rival named Rufus Griswold created Poe's posthumous reputation as a drunkard, opium addict, and all-around degenerate. While this dark image seemed to suit the creator of such chilling stories and also affirmed Northern Liberties' 19th-century reputation as a refuge for outcasts and scoundrels, Griswold's claims were unfounded and motivated by a personal grudge. The Poe House is a National Historic site, open to the public, and dedicated to interpreting Poe's life and work in Philadelphia.

Poe died and is buried in Baltimore, a city that also claims Poe's legacy. In 2007, a playful rivalry erupted between Philadelphia and Baltimore when Philadelphia-based Poe scholar Edward Pettit wrote a tongue-in-cheek newspaper article declaring that Philadelphia intended to steal Poe's body from its Baltimore resting place and re-inter the writer in the soil of his rightful home, Philadelphia. Baltimore, of course, fired back and the good-natured debate continues between the two cities. Poe scholars and fans from all over hope that the rivalry will draw attention and publicity to Poe, his works, and his multiple hometowns in time for his centennial in 2009.

References

Map

Map

Address

7th and Spring Garden Streets

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Tour

Greater Northern Liberties/Lower North Philadelphia

Mt. Tabor African Methodist Church Marshall Street curb market Marshall Street pushcarts mural Emmanuel Full Gospel Temple sign Exterior G. A. Bisler Paper and Box Company factory Brown St above 4th St. St. Agnes-St. John's Nepomucene Roman Catholic Church Northwest Corner of Bodine and Fairmount Ave Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church North Second Street corridor Garden Looms façade Saint Michael’s and Northern Liberties Rec Center, Three Men Talking 423 Fairmount Avenue Philip Kearny School Concilio building Friends Neighborhood Guild building, 151 Fairmount Ave. Richard Allen Homes Guild House building, 1967 Edgar Allan Poe National Historical Site Building of the German Society Wedding Party, Saint Andrew’s Orthodox Church Thomas Mifflin School Ortlieb’s Remains (Liberty Lands in Winter) Madison Court, 1988 Adams & Keen, Factory Kaplan’s Bakery Philadelphia Glass Works Orianna Hill Park Crane, Demolition of the Tannery Cigar Factory Loft exterior Becker Building Gretz Brewery Salvation Army and Historical Marker Crane Co. building sign Al-Aqsa Islamic Society building "A Full and Complete Account of the Late Awful Riots in Philadelphia": Burning of St. Michael's Church, on Wednesday afternoon, May 8 Don Quixote statue Schmidt's Brewery and Tower St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church Stetson Hat Company factory, Building 15 Stores on North 5th Street Taller Puertorriqueño Congreso de Latinos Unidos Casita North Mascher Street casita Tomasita Romero and Iris Brown Norris Square, Hancock and Diamond Streets Ukranian Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception St. Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church Bull's Head Tavern
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Curb Market, South 9th Street and Washington Avenue to Passyunk Avenue. Image provided by City of Philadelphia Department of Records East from Shot Tower, 1870. Image provided by Free Library of Philadelphia Engine House #3. Image provided by City of Philadelphia Department of Records George Mifflin Houses and Workman's Court. Image provided by Historical Society of Pennsylvania Las Parcelas African Garden and Villa. Image provided by Historical Society of Pennsylvania Northwest Corner of Bodine and Fairmount Ave. Image provided by City of Philadelphia Department of Records St. Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church. Image provided by Historical Society of Pennsylvania St. Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church. Image provided by Historical Society of Pennsylvania St. Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church. Image provided by Historical Society of Pennsylvania St. Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church exterior. Image provided by Historical Society of Pennsylvania St. Nicholas Eastern Orthodox Church plaque. Image provided by Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Mission District. Image provided by Historical Society of Pennsylvania
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