The Poes in Philadelphia

Edgar Allan Poe lived in this house in Philadelphia from 1843 to 1844 with his wife, Virginia Clemm Poe, and his mother-in-law, Maria Poe Clemm. It is the only surviving Philadelphia house in which the family lived. The house looked different before a front addition was built in 1848. During his six years in Philadelphia, Poe thrived as an author, sharpening his abilities as a poet, critic, and editor, writing the first detective stories, and creating enduring tales of horror. The Black Cat and The Gold-Bug were published while he lived here. Even as he achieved some success as a writer, his personal life was troubled by Virginia's steady decline from tuberculosis. As he watched her nearing death, Poe wrote to a friend that he feared he was insane "with long intervals of horrible sanity." Maria Clemm, known affectionately as "Muddy," provided stability by caring for her sick daughter and her melancholy son-in-law.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States