Edgar Allen Poe, one of America's most loved poets and authors, was born in Boston, but considered Richmond, Virginia to be his home.
Born in 1809, three year old Edgar was traveling with his mother, an actress, when she died while in Richmond. He was taken in and raised in Richmond by the Allan family. His sister, Rosalie, was taken and raised by another Richmond family.
The Edgar Allen Poe Museum, which was opened in 1922, is located a few blocks away from where he lived and from the site of his first job in Richmond at the Southern Literary Messenger. It is also within a few blocks of the burial place of his mother, Eliza Poe. The museum is the oldest residential building in Richmond, with tree ring dating it to as far back as 1754.
Around the time of the 100th anniversary of Poe's birth, a group of citizens in Richmond felt that the writer needed a better way to be remembered. The group originally had wanted a statue of Poe to be included on Monument Avenue. The city council declined the request, saying that Poe was of "disreputable character.''
The group went on to found the museum. The Old Stone House was to be demolished, but was saved by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. Originally called the Edgar Allen Poe Shrine, these words were spoken at a ceremony for the opening of the museum.
"This day... at a first expense of about $20,000, completes the Edgar Allan Poe Shrine, and marks the seventy-second anniversary of the death of the poet. If he is aware of mundane affairs he must be pleased to find that, at length, there has been reared to his memory a lasting and appropriate memorial.''
Exhibits include a large collection of manuscripts, first edition books and personal letters written by Poe. There are also an impressive number of personal items relating to Poe. These include the bed he slept in as a boy, articles of his clothing, his walking stick, his chest, a small box that had been used by his wife, a lock of his hair, a portrait of his father and a daguerreotype of Poe. Another treasure of the museum is a handwritten "autobiography''. Poe wrote the piece at the request from a publisher who wanted to include some personal information along with an article of Poe's they were publishing. The "autobiography'' is full of the lies and exaggerations for which Poe would become infamous for during his short life and that would earn him the nickname "The American Byron.''
There is also a portion of the museum dedicated to the many theories about how Poe might have died on October 7, 1849. There has been much speculation over the years, and ideas have included murder, epilepsy, carbon monoxide poisoning and a host of others.
An audio portion of the tour, which can be downloaded to personal music players prior to visiting the museum, is available at the museum's website,
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