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Richmond, Va
Edgar Allen Poe Portrait - The Poe Museum's Collections

Who Is Edgar Allan Poe?

Edgar Poe was born on January 19th, 1809 to traveling actors Eliza and David Poe. When Edgar was a baby, David abandoned the family, leaving Eliza to support three young children. In a devastating turn, Eliza contracted tuberculosis and spent the last few months of her life in Richmond. She died on December 8th, 1811 at the age of 24, leaving behind her three children.  Two-year-old Edgar was taken in by Richmond couple John and Frances Allan. Edgar was never officially adopted, a cause and result of constant tensions between him and his foster father. He did not take their last name, but instead he became Edgar Allan Poe.

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Twain and Poe

Written by Victoria Meader “To me his prose is unreadable—like Jane Austen’s. No, there is a difference. I could read his prose on salary, but not Jane’s. Jane is entirely impossible.”

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Poe’s Irish Ancestry

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Did you know Edgar Allan Poe had Irish ancestry? Edgar’s great-great grandfather, David Poe, is the namesake for Poe’s grandfather and father. David Poe of Dring, in the Parish

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“Haunt me, then!” From Brontë to Poe

The release of Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights (2026), though not a literal adaptation of Emily Brontë’s masterpiece, has reignited public fascination with her gothic novel. Whether you’ve recently watched the film or read Wuthering Heights (1847), you may find yourself searching for more literature that dwells in themes present in Brontë’s only novel. Edgar Allan Poe,

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Add A Little Misery

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