The Earl House was located at 67 North Main Street when it sheltered Edgar Allan Poe during his visits to Providence in 1848. It stood at the corner of North Main and Steeple Street, opposite to the First Baptist Church. The original building is no longer standing, but this 1830 engraving gives us an idea of what it looked like:

Note that the engraving depicts the American House, a hotel that occupied the space before the Earl House. The American House moved two streets over some time before 1848, and the Earl House moved into their old building.

The Earl House had a barroom, which proved to be quite dangerous for Poe. It was there that he drank quite heavily the night before sitting for the “Ultima Thule” daguerreotype. It was also where Poe purportedly had a glass of wine just days before his planned Christmas wedding with Sarah Helen Whitman, breaking his promise of sobriety and leaving her with no other choice but to call off the union.

There is speculation that during Poe’s time in Providence, he stayed at The Mansion House, a hotel that once stood on the corner of South Court and Benefit Street. While it is not out of the realm of possibilities that Poe found multiple lodgings throughout his numerous visits to the city, we do not have any evidence to prove it. We only have reports that he stayed at the Earl House.