Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum

Newly opened Edgar Allan Poe house is located in a neighborhood in Baltimore that I was a little apprehensive walking through alone so I would suggest getting an über or a cab to get there although, I did like being able to stop at his grave on my walk back.
The house itself is very small so it gives you a really good indication of how close the living quarters were for 5 people who rented a house on a small government widows pension. Only three objects in the museum that they know Poe actually used — so much about his life is unknown that it would be difficult for the museum to have much else I guess. All the workers were very knowledgable and you could ask as many questions as you wanted.

It is only open on weekends. Regular days are closed. Looks small from outside. There’s a museum inside.

Fascinating to see this last remnant of Batlimore histoy in the area. Be careful though, it is, literally, in the middle of a housing project and even going in the early morning I got a dangerous vibe from the area, and I am from a bad neighborhood in downtown Atlanta. Don’t walk through the area.

I don’t see how anyone could complain about this place. I walked there. Don’t let your phone die before arriving because you may miss a turn. No big deal. The building is small, but you can’t do anything about that! I believe they said the house is 85% original, which is awesome. The author of «Edgar Allen Poe’s Baltimore, David Gaylin, was on site and really augmented my experience there. He was personable and answered all my questions. The women working the front were very kind and welcoming. They also shared other Poe locations to visit. Walking through the house and reading all the information isn’t an all day affair. But it was a neat piece of history. A history lover should definitely stop by when in town :)

This place was a little gem find! It cost about $ 12 for my group to enter. It was a nice little piece of preserved history I got to see! To see the size of the houses from the 1830s was amazing!!! The staff at the door were very friendly and willingly gave us a lil spill on the history of the house and what was on the inside.
We spent about 30 min in the house and got a bunch of cool pics. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the house, the rooms and the overall layout.

I really enjoyed going through this little house. It’s extremely tiny so be sure and watch your head! It was very inexpensive and anyone under 13 I believe is free. The gift shop is also really great and be sure to leave a small donation if you can so they can stay open! I read a few reviews before visiting and most people liked to only mention the location being in the middle of «the hood». While it’s not in the best neighborhood ever, I was not afraid for my life being here. We saw maybe two people walking the sidewalk the whole time I was there. Nobody approached me asking for money and the people we passed by on the street were kind and said hello. I would not bypass going here just based on it being in a bad neighborhood because it’s by far not the worst one I’ve ever been in.

For a donation of $ 4 you can tour one of the many homes Poe lived in. This one with his mother and wife. It is small so watch your head while touring. The bottom and top floors each had their own «tour guide» who provided a lot of historical information. Very friendly and answered any questions we had. Some advice: We walked there frmo the grave site which was about 15 minutes. If you could, avoid walking as the Poe house is located in the not so good neighborhood.

I was thrilled to be able to tour one of the homes that Edgar Allan Poe lived in. The house is tiny and it feels even more so when it’s crowded with visitors. Being in his house and examining all the artifacts made me feel closer to the Master. Despite it’s size the gift shop is located in the entryway of the house. It’s well organized and stocked with very nice merchandise. I donated money plus I bought quite a bit of gifts (and a big portion of the money is used to keep their doors open). The staff was nice and helpful except for one person who was bad mouthing Mr. Poe which is unprofessional for two reasons; You never speak ill of the dead and you shouldn’t say things that aren’t true.
Oh as a side note to all the wimps, scaredy cats and the ones who are afraid of their own backsides I walked all over downtown Baltimore and nothing happened to me the entire weekend! (unless I was on the Light Rail) cause that’s how this babe from Brooklyn, NY handles herself-​with attitude.

This place is super AMAZING! It’s not a very big house, but that is what makes it more special. It’s not as if they took a house he lived in and built a ton of extensions on it to make it a huge museum. It’s very simple, just like I imagine it was when he lived there.
Definitely a must-​see in Baltimore and for every Poe fan!

I feel like people are a little overly dramatic in some of the past reviews about this venue. Yes, the Poe House is quite literally in the projects. Since every single review on here has mentioned that, I think people are aware that it’s not in the best area. Yes, it’s a shame that many people reading these reviews will miss out on a historical site in Baltimore because they are too afraid to walk the three feet from their cars to the front door of the house.
Many of the reviews seem outdated so I will update the information, having just visited today. First, there is no sign saying to knock outside. There is a sign saying open, if you go when it is open (which is 11 am-​4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays) and you can walk right in. I think those hours are actually pretty reasonable for such a small historical site. Second, there is ample parking all over the place. I parked RIGHT in front of the museum.
The house itself is tiny and a great example of what houses looked like back then. There are a few rooms with fireplaces and some original furniture around. By far the coolest part is the attic, where Poe supposedly wrote some of his stories and poems and where his cousin slept. There are a bunch of informative signs and several people working who are happy to discuss Poe’s life with you. There are a lot of mysteries that even the experts don’t seem to have answers to so it’s super interesting to get to go and read all about Poe on your own and draw your own conclusions. The house is small and you can probably check it all out satisfactorily in 30 minutes or less so it’s definitely not like an all day trip or anything. For such a small place, it has a cute little specialized gift shop in the front where you can get your quirky Natty Poh stickers and mugs and things.
Don’t be put off by the reviews on here that make it sound like you’re going to get murdered if you visit this site. I’m not going to pretend it’s in a great area (and despite living not that far I chose to drove instead of walk) but a lot of Baltimore looks just like the Poe Homes do. Maybe the tourists who are so disturbed and disgusted by what’s happened to the area around this historical home should try to do something to improve the blights that widespread poverty has caused in Baltimore. I’m sure it didn’t look like that when Edgar lived there. Also, the Poe House offers free admission for residents of the Poe Homes which I think is a great thing for them to do and inspired me to leave a donation to them.

Avoid… it is in the middle of the projects. We arrived 8 minutes before they opened and the cab driver wouldn’t even let us get out because he was afraid for our safety. Save the $ 40 cab ride.

Allow me to preface this review with a little commentary: If you didn’t go and tour the house, don’t write a review. This is for reviews of the actual house, not the neighborhood in which it lies. Also, I find a lot of the reviews I read about this to be pretty racist, so fuck off. The neighborhood isn’t the nicest, but I’m sure we’ve all seen worse. If you can’t handle it, you’re a baby. Suck it up, wimps.
For the actual house, no, there’s not much there, but as the curator explained to us, she just recently took over and is very excited about the project. Her excitement alone was with a couple stars. The volunteers were awesome and knowledgeable.
It’s crazy how small this house is. How did four people live there?
Even though there’s not much there, just seeing the place where someone of such importance lived was worth the price of admission. And the gift shop is teeny tiny, but they have a lot of neat things. I regret that I only bought one Poe finger puppet, because nine of my fingers are quite jealous!
I highly recommend going there. If the nieghborhood scares you, it shouldn’t. Just don’t act like a right asshole and everyone will leave you alone and let you go about your way.

The Edgar Allan Poe Museum is definitely an interesting look back in time at houses from another era. It is also a little glimpse back to the life of Edgar Allan Poe. As a museum, it is lacking in much info and/​or displays but hopefully time and money will allow them to expand.
The museum is relatively new/​under new management. As a result, there is lack of much in the way of displays and artifacts. The best source of info in the museum come from the people that work and volunteer there. They are all very knowledgeable on the subject of Poe and his life. Hopefully in time they will make enough money from donations, sales and entry fees to be able to afford more displays and artifacts but as it is, the people there are a font of Poe knowledge and help make up for the sparseness of the museum.
As it is, the house itself is pretty interesting in the glimpse you get into life in the mid 1800s. The house is tiny. Tiny rooms, tiny stairs, tinier stairs… It’s fairly interesting. The price of admission is a little high for what you see/​get but it goes to a good cause in helping preserve the place and expand on what they exhibit.
Just a note: The house isn’t in the nicest area. It’s a short walk to the closest bus stop and a bit longer walk to a nicer/​safer feeling part of town. Just be prepared for that. Call for a cab to pick you up if you don’t feel safe. Traveling alone or if you are there after dark, I’d be a little more careful… But just plan ahead and you will be fine. We walked back to our hotel from the museum and had 0 problems.

I can’t really give this an honest review because I didn’t take the tour, but I did take the time to visit and take pictures outside. After doing some research I find we are lucky it is even still standing and has been passed off from group to group and finally rehabbed.
First let me say, if you’re traveling alone, don’t come here at night. This is the hood, ya’ll. And this little brick house is smack dab in the middle of the projects.
The brick home, then numbered 3 Amity St., and now numbered 203 North Amity Street, is assumed to have been built in 1830 and rented by Poe’s aunt Maria Clemm in 1832. Clemm was joined in the home with her ailing mother, Elizabeth Cairnes Poe, and her daughter Virginia Clemm. Edgar Allan Poe moved in with the family in 1833 around the age of 23, after leaving West Point. Virginia was 10 years old at the time; Poe would marry her three years later, though their only public ceremony was in 1836. Poe lived in the house from about 1833 to 1835. The house was rented using pension money that Elizabeth collected thanks to her husband, David Poe Sr., who was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. The home is small and Poe’s room on the top floor has a ceiling with a sharp pitch which is six feet high at its tallest point.
In the 1930s, homes in the area, including Poe’s, were set for demolition to make room for the «Poe Homes» public housing project. The house was spared and control was given to the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore, which opened the home as The Baltimore Poe House in 1949. Former displays in the Museum included a lock of Poe’s hair, a small piece of Poe’s coffin, some original china that once belonged to John Allan (Poe’s guardian after Eliza Poe’s death), and a large reproduction of the portrait of Virginia Clemm painted after her death as well as many other Poe-​related images. An original 1849 obituary by Rufus Griswold in the October 24, 1849 edition of the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper is also on display along with a reprint of Poe’s original announcement for the creation of a new literary magazine to be called The Stylus — an endeavor that never came to fruition.

My Friend and me had a great time at the Poe House in 2010.
we were there for about 2 hours and saw the home and the history surrounding Poe.
We also chatted with a resident who lived around the corner and her cute little girl
who was playing with my buddy and even told us its was nice to see people that are
not from around there!!!

Do not be scared off by other people telling you to stay away because of the location. While I would not walk around this neighborhood, you won’t have any problems driving and finding parking to see it. I def wasn’t fearing for my life like some of the wimps on this page apparently were. There’s no furniture in the house, but I’m a huge Poe fan, so it was an awesome experience just stepping foot in there. It’s tiny, so the tour doesn’t take long, but if you are interested, it’s a great piece of history to witness.

Walk into the Poe House and you will feel a part of history. Walk up the staircase to understand how tiny this home really is. Read the information on the walls. If you crave history you’ll love it here.
Yes it’s next to subsidized housing don’t let that stop you from visiting a real gem. The Poe House will be open on weekends with free admission through October. enjoy :)

My husband and I were just in town for a few days and we were so excited to check out Poe’s grave and home, however, we were extremely disappointed by both. We waited for a while for someone to come and unlock the cemetery gates (some random guy in a group of people standing on the street corner said that they open at 9:30am so we went to have breakfast to kill some time only to come back and the gates were still locked). We then saw signs pointing to the Poe House which is a couple of blocks from the cemetery. (DON’T WALK THERE).
I’ve read a few of the other reviews on the Poe house here on Unilocal and while it is in a run-​down/​ghetto area, I did not fear for my life or anything silly like that. Actually, as we were pulling down Amity Street a man on his porch kindly pointed down the street directing us to the Poe house (I’m sure they can spot lost/​confused looking tourists from a mile away!). I could hear people screaming and yelling at each other in the housing right beside the Poe house. It was definitely weird to see a historical building slapped up against project buildings/​apartments.
While waiting for the graveyard to possibly open up we were looking stuff up about the Poe Museum online and it seems as if the city is running into an issue with coming up with the funds to keep this place going. So, both the graveyard and the abandoned Poe house museum were a no-​go but I was at least able to pop outside the car and snap a picture. Maybe Baltimore can use the crap load of money that they put into sports teams and sports arenas and help keep their historical sites open so that people can still enjoy them. :(

My heart bleeds to give this wonderful historical site a one star.
First, if you are a tourist: THIS PLACE IS LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS TOWNS IN THE NATION.
We flew all the way from Atlanta when I learned that one of my most favorite writer used to live here. My mind was full of romantic images of how Poe may have walked down the same road, flurries of snow swiftly swirling past him… and then BOOM. We got there and I was like, WTF?! Firstly, the website failed to post that the place is currently closed. *deep breathe … inhale, exhale– take a shot of vodka*
Hubby and I then decided to make the best of the situation and took photos on just the outside of the house. A little part of me was still happy since, hey, after all, this is the great Allan Poe’s house. During this time, one of the most interesting conversation I have had during my travels occur: suddenly, a policeman on foot approached us and asked us where we were from. I explained to him we are tourists and would like to know where else we can go from here and without a break, he tells us «AWAY FROM HERE» I laughed up until I realized he was dead serious, and he proceeded to tell us that we are standing in a town with the highest crime rate in the nation … later on, when we researched, the cop was not lying at all… and when he said CRIME … we are talking abut VIOLENT CRIMES. The cop lingered around until we were done taking our photos and got back in our car. I am happy to have made it here, but until the mayor of this city does something DRASTIC to CLEAN UP the place, add a undeniable amount of POLICE PRESENCE, and maybe put some more effort to rid the community of criminals and at the same time help the community maintain a respectable environment, I say STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE, and if you cannot help it, PARK CLOSE AND DON’T STICK AROUND AFTER THE SUN GOES DOWN. — mind you, I have had my time hanging out in projects, ghettos, hoods, slums, etc and if you’re a tourist walking around with nice cameras, smart phones, and a rented car, please: save yourselves.

We tried and it just didn’t happen.
This area is extremely questionable. There were a few things that made us not go in. I’ll list a few:
1. The parking was pretty bad, but you’re in the city so parking is challenging pretty much everywhere.
2. The sign on the door says knock and wait for an answer.
3. The sign also said do not handle money outside. (That will tell you something about the area if you couldn’t put it all together)
4. There was a broken TV with shattered glass on the sidewalk.
5. Right beside the door, there was a condom with semen oozing out of it.
So, we knocked and no answer. So we left.
Although history is important, it isn’t worth risking your life to see where Edgar Allen Poe lived…