Wondering about the life of a literary genius? You have arrived at the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage. This humble abode was once home to the master of the macabre himself. Let’s step back in time and uncover the story of Poe’s life here.
The Poe Cottage was built in 1812. It is a modest wood-frame farmhouse. It reflects the working-class houses of the old Fordham village. Poe, his wife Virginia, and her mother Maria moved here in 1846. Poe sought refuge from the literary storms of New York City. He had stirred controversy with his gossip-like discussions of literary figures.
For this rural community Poe paid about $100 a year in rent for the house and its surrounding two acres. The cottage was small and simple. It had just five rooms. The first floor included a sitting room, a kitchen, and a bedroom. The unheated second floor had another bedroom and Poe’s study.
Despite its size, the family found happiness here. A visitor noted an air of refinement within the cottage. A friend described it as neat, poor, unfurnished, yet charming. Poe himself called the place beautiful. Maria remembered it as the sweetest little cottage imaginable.
Here at the Poe Cottage, Poe penned some of his most famous poems. “Annabel Lee” and “Ulalume” were written here. Legend has it that the family cat often sat on his shoulder as he wrote. The cottage may have inspired his final short story “Landor’s Cottage”.
Poe befriended his neighbors and the faculty at St. John’s College now Fordham University. He found the Jesuit faculty to be cultivated gentlemen. They smoked, drank, and played cards like gentlemen. They never said a word about religion. The college’s church bells inspired his poem “The Bells”.
Tragedy struck here at the Poe Cottage. Virginia battled tuberculosis. She died in the cottage’s first-floor bedroom in 1847. Poe was devastated. He died a couple of years later in Baltimore. Maria moved out of the cottage shortly after Poe’s death.
The Poe Cottage had several owners after Poe’s death. In 1889, William Fearing Gill bought the cottage. This avoided its demolition. The New York Shakespeare Society leased the cottage in 1895. They wanted to preserve it.
In 1913, the Poe Cottage was moved to its present location in Poe Park. In 1922, the New-York Historical Society restored the cottage. They returned it to its original appearance.
Today, the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage stands as a New York City Landmark. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Bronx County Historical Society manages it. The rooms are furnished as they might have been during Poe’s time. A desk, rope bed, and wicker rocking chair evoke the family’s presence.
The Edgar Allan Poe Cottage offers a glimpse into the life of a literary giant. It is a reminder of the man who crafted tales of mystery and imagination. Take a moment to reflect on Poe’s legacy in this humble home.