• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Edgar Allan Poe Museum

The Poe Museum

Richmond, VA

We're open!Opening Hours today: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • About
    • Visit
    • Tickets
    • Edgar Allan Poe
      • Poe Biography
      • The Poe Museum Blog
      • Poe’s Complete Works
      • Timeline of Poe’s Life
    • About the Museum
    • Our Team
    • Contact Us
  • Programs
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Rentals
  • Collections
    • Online Collections
    • Research, Images and Library
    • The Poe Museum Blog
  • Support
    • Membership
    • Internship
    • Volunteer
    • Shop
    • Subscribe to Our Newsletter
  • Donate

Timeline of Edgar Allan Poe’s Life

Historical Timeline

1809
Feb 1809
Abraham Lincoln Born

Abraham Lincoln Born

February 12th, 1809: Abraham Lincoln was born. Lincoln would become the US president from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He led the United States of America through the Civil War and proclaimed the end of slavery in the United States in 1862.
1810
Oct 1810
The First Oktoberfest

The First Oktoberfest

October 12th, 1810: The first ever Oktoberfest began in Germany. The original Oktoberfest celebrated the wedding of the Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese von Saxe-Hildburghausen and a horse race.

1814
Sep 1814
Star Spangled Banner Written

Star Spangled Banner Written

September 15th, 1814: Frances Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner while watching the battle at Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. Once put to music, the poem became the national anthem of the United States.

1818
Jan 1818
Frankenstein Published

Frankenstein Published

January 1st, 1818: Mary Shelly published “Frankenstein”. The book is considered to be the first science fiction story.

1820
Apr 1820
Venus De Milo Discovered

Venus De Milo Discovered

April 8th, 1820: The Venus De Milo was discovered on the island of Milos, Greece by local man Yorgos Kentrotas. The piece was most likely sculpted around 150-125BCE.

1821
Mar 1821
Greek War of Independence Began

Greek War of Independence Began

March 1821: The Greek War of Independence began. After many years of conflict, Greece attained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832.

1822
Sep 1822
Rosetta Stone Deciphered

Rosetta Stone Deciphered

September 27th, 1822: Thomas Young deciphered the Rosetta Stone, allowing for the translation of Egyptian Hieroglyphics into modern languages.

1825
Aug 1825
Bolivia Founded

Bolivia Founded

August 6th, 1825: The country of Bolivia was founded, named after Simon Bolívar. Bolívar was a military and political leader who fought to liberate Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama from Spanish rule.

1827
Jan 1827
First Photo Taken

First Photo Taken

1827: Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce captured the oldest surviving photograph (or heliograph) with his new invention, the camera obscura. The photograph depicts a view of the French countryside.

1830
May 1830
President Signs Indian Removal Act

President Signs Indian Removal Act

May 28th, 1830: President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act which authorized the removal of Native people from the southeast region of the United States. This legislation lead to the Trail of Tears, a twenty-year forced removal of over 60,000 native people including Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole tribes. Around 10,000 people died traveling the Trail of Tears.

Page 1 of 4 1 2 … 4 »

Poe Timeline

1809
Jan 1809
Edgar Poe Born

Edgar Poe Born

January 19th, 1809 : Edgar Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts to touring actors David and Eliza Poe. David abandoned the family a year after Edgar was born.

Dec 1809
Eliza Poe Died of Tuberculosis

Eliza Poe Died of Tuberculosis

December 8th, 1811: Eliza Poe died of tuberculosis in Richmond, Virginia while on tour. Soon after, Edgar was taken in by Richmond couple John and Frances Allan. The Allans did not officially adopt Edgar, therefore he could not take their last name, and instead became Edgar Allan Poe.

1815
Jun 1815
The Allans Moved to England

The Allans Moved to England

June 1815: Edgar and the Allans moved to England as John Allan attempted to expand his business abroad. Edgar attended boarding school where he excelled academically.

1820
Aug 1820
The Allans Returned to Richmond

The Allans Returned to Richmond

August 1820: Edgar and the Allans returned to Richmond. Edgar continued schooling and showed great aptitude for Latin, poetry, acting, and swimming.

1824
Oct 1824
Poe and Lafayette Tour Richmond

Poe and Lafayette Tour Richmond

October 1824: A fifteen-year-old Edgar Allan Poe was a part of a Junior Honor Color Guard that led Revolutionary War General Marquis De Lafayette around Richmond. Lafayette and Poe stopped at a home on Main Street to visit the Ege family, who had assisted in the revolution. 98 years later, that home would become the Poe Museum.

1825
Jul 1825
Engagement to Elmira Royster

Engagement to Elmira Royster

July 1825 – February 1827 (exact date unknown): Edgar secretly became engaged to Elmira Royster. Their engagement did not last long because Elmira’s father disapproved of Poe and encouraged her to marry someone else. Elmira married Alexander Shelton and broke off the engagement to Poe.

1826
Feb 1826
Poe Attended UVA

Poe Attended UVA

February – December 1826: Edgar Allan Poe attended the University of Virginia. Arriving with only a third of the money needed for tuition, he began to gamble to raise funds. Poe accumulated incredible debt and left after a semester.

1827
Jun 1827
Poe Published Tamerlane in Boston

Poe Published Tamerlane in Boston

June 1827: Edgar Allan Poe moved to Boston and published his first book of poetry “Tamerlane and Other Poems” under the pseudonym “A Bostonian.” He then joined the army.

1830
Jun 1830
Poe Attended West Point

Poe Attended West Point

1830: Edgar Allan Poe was discharged from the army and then attended West Point, a military academy. He published his second book of poems with the help of other army men. The book “Poems” (1831) was not well received by its patrons.

1831
Feb 1831
Poe Moved to Baltimore

Poe Moved to Baltimore

February 1831: Edgar Allan Poe encountered financial issues and was court-martialed from West Point for “extreme dereliction of duty.” He then moved to Baltimore and lived with relatives including his aunt Maria and cousin Virginia.

Page 1 of 4 1 2 … 4 »

Footer

Museum Hours

Tuesday – Saturday
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday
11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Contact

1914 E Main Street
Richmond, VA 23223
804.648.5523
info@poemuseum.org

Links

SHOP | DONATE | VISIT | PATREON

 

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 PoeMuseum.org