5. Poe Cottage, The Bronx

Poe Cottage in the Bronx


The Edgar Allan Poe Cottage was built in 1812 in what is now Fordham Manor. It was Poe’s final residence in New York City. Poe rented the cottage for $100 a year starting in the spring of 1846. Sadly, his beloved wife Virginia died in the home in 1847. Poe himself would die just two years later while in Baltimore. At the time of Poe’s death, his mother-in-law Maria Clemm moved out of the Bronx cottage. It is believed that Poe wrote his poems “Annabel Lee,” “The Bells,” andEureka” while living in the modest home. Though it has widely been reported that Poe enjoyed walks across the Harlem River along High Bridge while living in the Bronx, we debunked that myth – the walkway was completed after he died.

The house was saved by the efforts of the New York Shakespeare Society, which raised funds to have it moved across the street in 1913. The Shakespeare Society also put up the funds for one of the plaques at the site of the Brennan farmhouse. Today, the house is part of the Historic House Trust of New York City and has been administered by the Bronx Historical Society since 1975. It is a New York City and State landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of the Bronx’s most interesting house museums and one of the oldest structures in the borough. You can visit for a very small admission fee of $5!