Providence Athenaeum
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The Providence Athenaeum is an independent, member-supported subscription library in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. The building is open to the public, but only members can
Providence Athenaeum 2024 07 13
Providence Athenaeum interior in 2012.
The Providence Athenaeum, circa 1958.
The public drinking water fountain on Benefit Street, with the inscription, "Come hither every one that thirsteth."
Edgar Allan Poe
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Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely reg
Providence Athenaeum
…1831), and the merged organization became known as the Providence Athenaeum. On December 23, 1848, Sarah Helen Whitman broke off her relationship with Edgar Allan Poe in the building. Author H. P. Lovecraft was not a member of the library, but he lived nearby on College Street; he frequented the library and wrote…
Poe in 1849
Plaque marking the approximate location of Poe's birth on Carver Street in Boston
In May 1827, Poe enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he was first stationed at Fort Independence in Boston.
In 1835, at age 26, Poe obtained a license to marry his cousin Virginia Clemm, who was then aged 13; they were married for 11 years until her death.