1897 Poe House: home of Edgar Allen Poe of Fayetteville, NC

The southern region is full of historic contributions to society from accomplished business men and women. Today’s culture would not be what it is without these significant endowments from our past, as noted with individuals like Edgar Allen Poe. Not to be confused with the well-known writer Poe, this Edgar Allen Poe was a prominent Fayetteville business man who owned a successful brickyard business supplying bricks to numerous Fayetteville buildings, many which still stand today.

The 1897 Poe House is an example of a late 19th century home and was built on land that was once part of the U.S. Arsenal destroyed by General Sherman during his march at the end of the Civil War. Though Poe sold bricks for a living, ironically his house was made of wood. This two-story house on the hill was a typical home for a middle class family during this period, and exemplifies a family that was definitely a part of the Victorian era. The home is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Many original pieces from the family are still in the home including the parlor’s piano, Mrs. Poe’s sewing machine, the dining room furniture, and an original writing sample from one of the daughters. The rest of the home’s décor are representative of 1897-1917 as noted with the combination gas electric lighting fixtures that are located throughout the home since electricity was not available in Fayetteville, NC when the house was built.

During this time, every room in a house was taxable even closets; so many homes had very few closets, or very small ones. The closets in the Poes’ house were so tiny that only one person could stand in it and not turn around. The family still had stand-alone armoires for storing seasonal clothing. With the change of the season, the family switched out clothing as well as window treatments, area rugs, and other furniture décor.

Edgar Allen Poe was a successful businessman, politician and civic leader and guided tours of his 1897 Poe House are available through Cape Fear Historical Museum Complex. The home is located at 206 Bradford Ave, Fayetteville, NC. It’s open everyday except Monday, and touring is free to the public. The last tour is at 4 pm and lasts about 30-45 minutes.