Edgar Allan Poe House
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)--the poet, short story author, and editor--lived in Philadelphia during the most productive years of his life, from 1838 until 1844. He had at least four addresses in the city, the last of which was this small house, which he began to rent sometime between the fall of 1842 and June 1843.
Built in the 1830s, the modestly detailed brick house stands on alley called Minerva Street (now Brandywine Street) about 100 feet west of Seventh Street. In Poe’s time it was a freestanding house in a rural setting, and he hoped that this bright, airy environment would help his wife Virginia, who had recently contracted tuberculosis. The household included Virginia’s mother Maria Clemm and a cat named Catterina.
The simple little house is three short stories tall and only one room deep, with two rooms on each floor, separated by a central stair. There was little decorative embellishment, and the Poes had very little furniture. However, there was a marble mantle in the parlor.
Poe’s writing room was on the second floor, and while working there he probably composed some of his most famous tales, including, "The Gold Bug,' "The Fall of the House of Usher,” "The Tell-Tale Heart,' and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” Although he was already well known, these Philadelphia-composed short stories redefined the genre.
While living in Philadelphia but before moving to the house, Poe had worked for fourteen months as an assistant editor of Graham’s Magazine, a popular journal that published several of his stories. But he aspired to launch his own magazine, and, always short of cash, in the spring of 1844 he moved his family to New York where he hoped prospects would be brighter.
The house was soon incorporated as the rear el of a larger house facing Seventh Street. It and a similar all-new house to its north were completed by 1849, and as the streets began to be lined with big houses, the illusion that this was a piece of countryside ended.
Photo credit: Visit Philadelphia®