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Edgar Allan Poe Society Records

 Collection
Identifier: R0098-POE

  • Staff Only
  • Place requests at folder level.

Scope and Contents

The Edgar Allan Poe Society Records document the activities and functions of the Society relating to its annual programs, readings, lectures and events. The collection also includes materials relating to the preservation of the Edgar Allan Poe House and tours provided there for visitors. Materials in the collection include meeting minutes, commemerative program documentation, correspondence, subject files, publications, clippings, photographs, and financial records.

Dates

  • 1923-2002

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Historical Note

The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore was officially established following a commemorative celebration of Poe's birthday on January 19, 1923. The Poe Society organized an annual series of public programs that included musical settings of Poe's poems, readings from his writings, exhibitions of information and memorabilia, and lectures about his life and works. On June 4, 1938, the Poe Society was alerted by an article in the Baltimore Sun to the planned destruction of the block of houses between Lexington and Saratoga Streets, including the house where Poe had lived in 1833-1835. The Society organized to preserve the structure, due in large part to the efforts of May Garrettson Evans and Dr. John C. French. The Poe Society provided tours from 1950 until 1977, when responsibility for the museum was assumed by Baltimore City's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP). After 1977, the Society returned its efforts to focus on annual commemorative lectures and associated publications. In 1983, the Edgar Allan Poe Society worked with University of Baltimore President Turner to have the Edgar Allan Poe statue moved from its location in Wyman Park to the Gordan Plaza at University of Baltimore. The statue later became a symbol of the University.

[Some information for this historical note was gathered from an article in 'UBique: The University of Baltimore Student Newspaper' Vol. VII No. 2, February 20, 1995.]

Extent

8.38 Linear Feet (24 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Collection is organized in 12 series:

  • Organization Records and History
  • Executive Committee
  • Office of President
  • Officers and Committees
  • Treasurer's Records
  • Membership
  • Commemorative Programs
  • Correspondence
  • Publications and Sales
  • Subject Files
  • Edgar Allan Poe House - Amity Street
  • Photographs and Postcards

Custodial History

The collection was donated to the University of Baltimore by Alexander G. Rose III. on September 22, 1977.

Title
Finding aid for the Edgar Allan Poe Society Records
Author
Finding aid prepared by archives staff. Revised by Aiden Faust (2011). Revised by Laura Bell (2022).
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Baltimore Studies Archives Repository

Contact:
H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, Room 104
1415 Maryland Avenue
Baltimore Maryland 21201 USA
410-837-4253