Providence’s Franklin Lyceum was a society dedicated to self-education. They were established in 1831 and hosted lectures by many prominent figures during their time as an organization. Some of those figures included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horace Greeley, Mark Twain, and Edgar Allan Poe. These lectures were held at various venues throughout Providence, including Howard’s Hall.

Poe lectured for 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. On the night of the lecture, Poe spoke on his “Poetic Principle” before a sold-out crowd of nearly 2,000 people. Sarah Helen Whitman was in attendance, sitting in the very front row. Friends of Whitman who were also in attendance noticed that she and Poe exchanged flirtatious looks while he was on stage, especially when he recited his well-known works like “The Raven” and “The Bells.” The lecture impressed her so profoundly that on the following day, she set a wedding date: December 25th.

Howard’s Hall is non-extant, however, we have an early rendering of the building from 1847, courtesy of Brown University’s Digital Repository. The image gives us an idea of what the building looked like when Poe gave his lecture there.