When “The Raven” Flew Over Spring Garden: On Poe’s Time In Philly

Dear Baltimore –

Let’s get one thing straight. Edgar Allan Poe is ours. You may have his body, but no1curr about some dusty old bones.

Kindest regards,
Philadelphia.

Why so serious, Edgar? This American author-poet-literary critic enjoyed his time in Philly.

Okay, time to be serious. Well, I mean, that was serious – Philly has, and always will have, the better claim over Poe. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

It’s October, month of all things weird and spooky. Edgar Allan Poe, great American author of many creepy poems and short stories, is right on theme this time of year. That’s especially true here in Philadelphia, home of the National Historic Site dedicated to Poe. The site, situated on the boundary between Spring Garden and the Loft District, is a three-story red brick home where Poe lived with his ill wife, Virginia, his mother-in-law, and his beloved kitty, Catterina. His biographers agree that his years in Philly were some of the happiest in his life, which was blighted by poverty and mental illness.

Poe only lived in town for six years, but those years are widely regarded as the most productive and impressive of his career. He penned some thirty short stories in Philadelphia, including “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “The Masque of the Red Death.” It isn’t confirmed, but some believe that he began writing “The Raven” here as well.

Poe sold most of the furniture in his home to keep his small family thriving, but history has remembered him as one of the country’s first professional writers.

Philly has the Poe house, but Baltimore has his grave. There’s a longstanding and spirited rivalry between the two cities regarding who “owns” Poe, but my opinion on the matter is evident.

Of all Philadelphia’s ties to literature, the Poe connection is, arguably, the most notable. Not only did the author pen many of his most beloved tales of murder and mayhem in the City of Brotherly Love, but his Philly epoch also marked a profound shift in his career as a writer: this is where he pioneered the mystery story (a trope that is alive and kicking today, as well as one that inspired other greats like Agatha Christie) and where he achieved some of the limited success as a published author that he’d find in life.

VISIT:
The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
532 N. 7th Street Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 597-8780

Open Friday through Sunday
9am – 5pm (closed from noon to 1pm for lunch)

Admission is free.