Our first stop was at the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site. 
Poe lived in several houses in Philadelphia from 1837 to 1844, but this house is the only surviving one. It was Poe's final home in the city before moving to New York.
The house has NOT been restored to look as it did during Poe's time.
Ascend these stairs at your own risk.
Ascend these stairs at your own risk.
Poe lived here with his wife, Virginia, who suffered from tuberculosis, and his mother-in-law, Maria Clemm.
Edgar and Virginia were also first cousins as Maria was also Edgar's aunt.
A view from the side yard of the house.
A view from the bad side of Doug reveals that this was not a good picture pose.
The National Historic Site consists of Poe's former residence and two adjoining residences which were built after Poe lived here.
An avid fan of Poe, Richard Gimbel (son of the founder of Gimbel's Department Store) purchased the home, refurbished it, opened it as a museum, and left the property to the city of Philadelphia upon his death.
The National Park Service took over the site in 1978 and opened it to the public in 1980.
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."
Doug appears to have lost some weight since his last photo.
Did you know that Edgar Allan Poe lived to the ripe old age of 40?
The scary basement of the house reminds us of one of Poe's stories...
particularly of "The Cask of Amontillado" in which a living man is entombed in a stone wall.
The reading room is not part of the original home but has been furnished based on Poe's theories in "The Philosophy of Furniture".
Here you can read Poe's works or listen to many of them on CD.
Poe's works are featured on compact disc in a volume of Smithsonian Legendary Performers.
This mural of Edgar Allan Poe can be found on a nearby building.
For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/june/philadelphia/ pictures 63-108.
To be continued...
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