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The Telltale Door: 1931

Circa 1930. "Edgar Allan Poe's mother's house. Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia." Large-format negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size.

Circa 1930. "Edgar Allan Poe's mother's house. Richmond, Henrico County, Virginia." Large-format negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size.

 

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Poe houses

I had first assumed that this was EAP's foster mother's house, as his mother died early in Edgar's life while he lived in Boston, but it probably was hers, as she did live in Richmond for a very brief time before her death.

He was taken in by the Allan family (his birth name was Edgar Poe) in Richmond after his mother's death. Although the Allan's raised Edgar and changed his name to Edgar Allan Poe, they actually never formally adopted him. His foster parents were quite well off, and I assume therefore, that this wouldn't have been their home. It's probably appropriate to note however, that EAP would have lived with his mother in Richmond in the early 1800's, a full 100+ years before this picture was taken, so the condition of the property might have been much different when he lived there.

Well alrighty then

This explains a lot.

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