Illumination Series Featuring: Dr. Gary Richards
Join us for an evening with Dr. Gary Richards, Chair of the University of Mary Washington English Department! Dr. Richards will speak on the the life, work, and dialogue between […]
The Poe Museum + Mending Walls RVA
In honor of Black History Month, we are sharing an Activity Guide dedicated to the temporary exhibit that is currently on display outside of the Poe Museum. This exhibit was […]
Moldavia: 219 Years Later
At an auction held on June 28, 1825, merchant John Allan purchased a Richmond estate. Actually, he purchased parts of three lots from the late Joseph Gallego and the late John Richard. […]
Poe’s Tales of Detective Fiction
MURRAY ELLISON–Urban crime was an area of acute interest in the nineteenth century in America and Europe because the public feared that it was rampant and out of the control […]
The Poetic Principle: A Rich Intellectual Treat
Written by Rob Velella, August 17, 2009, as part of “The Edgar A. Poe Calendar: 365 Days of the Master of the Macabre and the Mystery“ Edgar Poe presented an […]
Birth of Virginia Clemm
Written by Rob Velella, August 15, 2009, as part of “The Edgar A. Poe Calendar: 365 Days of the Master of the Macabre and the Mystery“ Happy birthday to Virginia […]
Poe’s Place In Literary History
Written by Rob Velella, August 14, 2009, as part of “The Edgar A. Poe Calendar: 365 Days of the Master of the Macabre and the Mystery“ Poe’s place in literary […]
Poe and the Early Development of Photography
*This essay is part of Murray Ellison’s Master’s Thesis from Virginia Commonwealth University on Edgar Allan Poe and Science© In 1840, Poe became a writer for Alexander’s Weekly Messenger and […]
The Poe & Science Series
Poe Exposes Maelzel’s Automated Chess Player, Part II Murray Ellison | Dec. 2nd, 2017 In 1836, Poe asks readers of the Richmond-based Southern Literary Messenger to ponder the implications for […]
Edgar Allan Poe and the Culture of Mourning
From train accidents, bridge collapses, and steamboat wrecks, to diseases such as the “White Plague,” or tuberculosis, it is undeniable that the nineteenth century was a witness of tragedy and […]
Poe’s Investigations of a 19th-Century Automated Chess Machine – Part I
Charles Babbage’s First Automated Chess Machine on Display in the London Science Museum Written By Murray Ellison | November 1st, 2017 Literary Historian, Gerald Kennedy writes, “In Poe’s writing career […]
Poe’s Early Schooling and Interest in Science
Written by Murray Ellison Poe’s early schooling and military training inspire and shape his interest in science. According to Kenneth Silverman, Poe’s secondary education started after his foster parents moved […]