Poe was born in Boston in 1809, but he was orphaned by the time he was a toddler and was then cared for by foster parents in Richmond, Virginia. He visited Baltimore as a youth, and in 1833 he was one of the family members living in Baltimore at this 2 ½ story, five-room rowhouse at 203 Amity Street in 1833 with his aunt Maria Clemm and her relatives. The family only lived here for a few years until they were forced to move in 1835. Meanwhile, Poe had become a writer as a young adult, and he followed work to between Virginia, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City. He died in Baltimore in 1849 and was buried here.
His eventual fame as a poet and mystery and macabre writer caused his residences, including the Amity Street home, to become cherished by his devotees. The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore was instrumental in saving the rowhome in 1941 when a public housing project threatened demolition. The low-rise “Poe Homes” public housing units still surround the building, but the City of Baltimore was persuaded to support its operation as a museum for many years until funding cuts led to a brief closure in 2012. The non-profit organization Poe Baltimore reopened the house and museum, affectionately known as Poe House, in 2013.