Edgar Allan Poe House
ca. 1840 (images 1979-1985)
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This was the home of Edgar Allan Poe in the Spring Garden neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, now the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site. These images and the following descriptions were included with the nomination to add the house to the National Register of Historic Places.
This three-story brick house, with two rooms on each floor, was constructed sometime between September 1840, and August 1842 (but most likely early in that period), by William M. Alburger, a plumber and real estate investor. Edgar Allan Poe and his family lived in this house as renters from sometime between September 1842 and June 1843, until April 1844, when they left for New York City.
Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park System which has been designated by Congress as the official memorial to "the literary importance attained by Edgar Allan Poe," one of America's premier literary figures. The Site preserves the only surviving residence of the four which served Poe during his years in Philadelphia (1838-44). During this period he attained his greatest successes as an editor and critic, and he published some of his most famous tales, including "The Gold Bug," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," and may have written an early version of "The Raven."
Commemorating Poe's most famous work, an imposing bronze sculpture of an open-mouthed raven was added to the property in October 1979. It was designed to be clearly visible from Spring Garden Street, and was placed in such a way as to cast a large shadow against the south wall on sunny days, and be floodlighted at night to cast an even larger shadow. Sculptor David Caccia, of Sewell, New Jersey, a Philadelphia native, was commissioned to create the statue. It replaced two previous ravens, one of lead, the other of wood, which had been stolen.
This three-story brick house, with two rooms on each floor, was constructed sometime between September 1840, and August 1842 (but most likely early in that period), by William M. Alburger, a plumber and real estate investor. Edgar Allan Poe and his family lived in this house as renters from sometime between September 1842 and June 1843, until April 1844, when they left for New York City.
Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park System which has been designated by Congress as the official memorial to "the literary importance attained by Edgar Allan Poe," one of America's premier literary figures. The Site preserves the only surviving residence of the four which served Poe during his years in Philadelphia (1838-44). During this period he attained his greatest successes as an editor and critic, and he published some of his most famous tales, including "The Gold Bug," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," and may have written an early version of "The Raven."
Commemorating Poe's most famous work, an imposing bronze sculpture of an open-mouthed raven was added to the property in October 1979. It was designed to be clearly visible from Spring Garden Street, and was placed in such a way as to cast a large shadow against the south wall on sunny days, and be floodlighted at night to cast an even larger shadow. Sculptor David Caccia, of Sewell, New Jersey, a Philadelphia native, was commissioned to create the statue. It replaced two previous ravens, one of lead, the other of wood, which had been stolen.
This primary source comes from the Records of the National Park Service.
National Archives Identifier: 71997516
Full Citation: Pennsylvania SP Poe, Edgar Allan, House, National Historic Site; ca. 1840 (images 1979-1985); National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Pennsylvania; National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 - 2017; Records of the National Park Service, Record Group 79; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/edgar-allan-poe-house, May 19, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.