Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site

Why go

Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site earns time because it offers an austere literary site where sparse rooms keep attention on writing, memory and interpretation. Its central thread is Poe's Philadelphia years and the surviving house associated with his most productive period. The unfurnished rooms emphasize the building's structure rather than a reconstructed household. A raven sculpture outside turns Poe's best-known image into a clear street marker.

What to look for

• The unfurnished rooms emphasize the building's structure rather than a reconstructed household.
• A raven sculpture outside turns Poe's best-known image into a clear street marker.

The full story

Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site is best understood through Poe's Philadelphia years and the surviving house associated with his most productive period. The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site is a preserved home once rented by American author Edgar Allan Poe, located in the Spring Garden neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though Poe lived in many houses over several years in Philadelphia , it is the only one which still survives. Poe lived in several homes in Philadelphia, including homes on Arch Street, on Sixteenth Street near Locust, and on Coates Street near Twenty-Fifth Street. While living in Philadelphia, Poe published some of his most well-known works, including "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," and "The Gold-Bug". It has been called his most prolific period. In all, Poe published 31 stories during his time in Philadelphia as well as several literary criticism pieces, including his February 1841 review of Charles Dickens's novel Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty. In reviewing the novel, which later inspired Poe's poem "The Raven", he correctly predicted the novel's resolution before its final serialized installment was published. Dickens is said to have remarked, "The man must be the devil". Poe's five years in the city have been described as the happiest of his life.

Useful to know

• Confirm reopening and access with the National Park Service before traveling.
• When the house is closed, keep it as an exterior stop rather than planning a full visit.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.