The Franklin Lyceum of Providence is described as a society dedicated to self-education. They were established in 1831 and hosted many prominent figures for lectures throughout their time as an organization. Some of those figures included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horace Greeley, Mark Twain, and of course, Edgar Allan Poe. These lectures were held at various venues throughout Providence, Howard’s Hall being one of the more popular locations.

Poe lectured before the Lyceum at Howard’s Hall on December 20, 1848. The doors were opened at 6:30pm and the lecture started at 7:30pm. Tickets were sold at a nearby bookstore as well as Leland’s Music Store in the week leading up to the event. On the night of the lecture, Poe spoke on “The Poetic Principle” before a sold-out crowd of 1,800 people. Sarah Helen Whitman sat in the very front row. Spectators who were friends of Whitman and knew of her engagement to Poe recounted that while he recited his works such as, “The Raven” and, “The Bells,” they exchanged numerous flirtatious expressions with each other. The lecture must have impressed Whitman so profoundly that the next day she set the wedding date for December 25th.

Howard’s Hall is no longer standing. However, we do have this early rendering of the building in 1847, courtesy of Brown’s Digital Repository. The image gives us a good idea of what the building looked like when Poe gave his lecture there: