Boston, Massachusetts witnessed the birth of Edgar Poe in 1809. Richmond, Virginia raised Edgar Allan Poe into a Southern gentleman and gave him his middle name. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was home to Poe during his most productive years as a writer. The Bronx (then Fordham), New York served as his final residence. Baltimore, Maryland witnessed Poe’s death, and there he remains forevermore. Each of these places holds a significant claim to America’s great writer, while Providence, Rhode Island is too often a mere footnote in his biography.

With the publication of “The Raven” in New York’s Evening Mirror in 1845, Poe finally achieved national fame. Celebrity, however, proved to be a double-edged sword. Public acclaim was accompanied by scandal, social ostracism, and, after his death, relentless defamation. Yet his newfound popularity also allowed him to embark on a lecture tour as audiences across the country eagerly sought to hear the celebrated author of “The Raven.” Unlike his writing, lecturing provided Poe with a steady and dependable source of income. Providence’s Franklin Lyceum hosted one of these lectures on December 20, 1848, though it was the popular poet Frances Sargent Osgood who first drew Poe to Providence three years earlier.

During that initial visit in 1845, Poe caught sight of the ethereal Sarah Helen Whitman tending the rose garden behind her home on Benefit Street. The encounter inspired a poem written to her, later titled “To Helen,” and ultimately drew him back to Providence to pursue a romance with the beautiful widow. Their whirlwind courtship quickly culminated in an engagement, setting in motion one of the most dramatic chapters of Poe’s life, played out in Rhode Island between September and December 1848.

It was here that Poe purchased two ounces of laudanum for a failed suicide attempt. It was here that he sat for two daguerreotypes, one becoming his own favorite likeness and the other his most iconic portrait. Although Poe never lived in Providence, his brief time here profoundly shaped the final year of his life. His relationship with Sarah Helen Whitman proved especially consequential, for after his death in 1849 she became one of his most steadfast defenders, championing his reputation until her own death in 1878.

This site tells the story of The Raven in the Renaissance City while bringing together every known connection between Edgar Allan Poe, Sarah Helen Whitman, and the state of Rhode Island.

About the creator of edgarallanpoeri.com and A Walking Tour of Poe’s Providence, Levi Lionel Leland:

I am a born and raised Rhode Islander residing in my hometown of Coventry. I have been a devoted Edgar Allan Poe aficionado since I was twelve years old. After visiting every Poe house/museum in the country within the first few years of learning his name, I came to focus on his ties to my own home state after realizing how important his time here truly was. The capital city witnessed his tempestuous relationship with our own poet, Sarah Helen Whitman, captured Poe in two of his most famous daguerreotypes, and much more! After creating this website to compile everything I could about Poe, Whitman, and their time in Rhode Island, I created A Walking Tour of Poe’s Providence, which had a successful debut in 2021. I guide public and private tours annually, allowing me to present my knowledge of Poe and his history here in Providence to the public. I also give presentations on this subject at various historical and intellectual institutions throughout the state, expanding my reach to those who may not be able to take the walking tour. Through these endeavors, I have been able to resurrect the legacy of Sarah Helen Whitman, who has slid under the radar quite substantially in Poe studies. Highlighting her life and legacy both inside and outside of her connection to Poe has been one of my greatest, albeit inadvertent, achievements. Through recent research, I discovered that Sarah Helen Whitman is my sixth cousin six times removed. We share a great grandfather named John Gould VII (1584-1650) from Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England.

When I am not researching or guiding tours, you can find me with coffee in-hand and exploring my favorite cemeteries with my pittie. I am a docent for Providence’s North Burial Ground, Rhode Island’s first municipal cemetery established in 1700. It was open to people of all races, classes, and religions. Not to mention, Sarah Helen Whitman is buried there! I have participated in creating and hosting multiple events regarding Whitman and Poe through the cemetery’s expansive programming. I am the author of Edgar Allan Poe: The Master of the Macabre, published by Simon & Schuster. I am an honorary member of The Providence Athenaeum, the library where Poe and Whitman spent many hours during their courtship. My “day job” is in Special Education, which I find both enjoyable and rewarding.

Whether you are a Rhode Islander, New Englander, a Poe fan, or just an interested passerby, I hope that you enjoy all this site has to offer! You can contact me with any comments, inquiries, suggestions for the site, or to schedule a walking tour. I will be happy to hear from you!