 The house was built
around 1830 in what was then considered the country. The new Baltimore and Ohio train
station had opened a few short blocks south of the Poe House in 1830. It now houses the B
& O Train Museum.
In the 1930's the buildings in the area were razed for the construction of the Poe Homes,
a public housing project. The house was scheduled for demolition but public vigilance and
interest forced the Housing Authority to spare the site. The Edgar Allan Poe Society was
given control of the house and opened it as The Edgar Allan Poe House in 1949. An
exhaustive search of city registers, deeds and maps proved that Poe in fact did live in
this house.
In 1979, the society approached the city of
Baltimore to request that the city restore the property. It took $90,000 of city and state
funds to repair the deteriorated house. The Commission for Historic and Architectural
Preservation (CHAP) a city agency, now maintains the site as a historic house museum, and
sponsors tours and activities throughout the year.
| Location: |
203 North Amity Street
Baltimore, MD 21223
Tel: 410-396-7932
Fax: 410-396-5662 |
| Mailing Address: |
CHAP/Poe House
417 E. Fayette St.
Suite 1037
Baltimore, MD 21202 |
| Hours: |
Open Wednesday to Saturday
12 noon to 3:45,
April-July and October-December
Saturdays only 12:00-15:45, August-September
Please telephone to verify hours before you visit. |
|
