Boston’s Edgar Allan Poe Statue is being added to the City's Irish Heritage Trail
Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809, the son of David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold, who were actors at the nearby Federal Theatre when Edgar was born. His Scots-Irish Presbyterian great grandparents, John Poe of Dring, County Cavan and Jane McBride of Balleymoney, County Antrim, emigrated with their son David (Edgar’s grandfather) from their farm in Cavan to the American colonies in the 1740s, settling first in Lancaster, Pennsylvania before settling in Baltimore, MD.
The life-size statue of Poe was unveiled in 2014 at Poe Square, located at the corner of Boylston and Charles Street outside the Transportation Building, not far from where Poe as born. The statue was initiated by Paul Lewis, a Boston College English professor, and Poe authority Rob Valella. They created the Edgar Allan Poe Foundation of Boston, which raised funds, worked with the City of Boston Arts Commission, and generated interest in the project.
Three years after his birth in Boston, Edgar’s father died of consumption and his mother died a month later. Poe was adopted and raised by the Allan family in Richmond, VA, but he returned to Boston often as a young man. His first book of poems, Tamerlane, was published here in 1827 when he was just 18. Poe also enlisted in the U.S. Army in Boston and was stationed on Castle Island in South Boston for five months. Legend has it that his famous story, The Cask of Amontillado, was inspired by his time at Castle Island, according to the New England Historical Society.
While Poe clashed with Boston’s literary elite such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Boston has been proud to claim Poe as a native son in recent years. In December, 2009, on the centenary of Poe’s birth, the Boston Public Library presented an exhibit entitled, "The Raven in the Frog Pond: Edgar Allan Poe and the City of Boston." The exhibit ran through March 2010.
Today the Edgar Allan Poe statue is popular among visitors who stop to take group photos and selfies.
Poe also has an interesting affiliation to one of the other stops along the Irish Heritage Trail: the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Flagstaff Hill in Boston Common, created by Irish immigrant sculptor Martin Milmore and unveiled on September 17, 1877. It was Professor Lewis who pointed out, in a 2020 story in The Boston Globe, that a cameo of Poe was actually carved into one of the four mezzo-rilevos surrounding the monument.
Read information about the 30th anniversary of the IrishHeritageTrail.com, and some of the additional Irish-themed landmarks being added across Massachusetts in the coming months.
The life-size statue of Poe was unveiled in 2014 at Poe Square, located at the corner of Boylston and Charles Street outside the Transportation Building, not far from where Poe as born. The statue was initiated by Paul Lewis, a Boston College English professor, and Poe authority Rob Valella. They created the Edgar Allan Poe Foundation of Boston, which raised funds, worked with the City of Boston Arts Commission, and generated interest in the project.
In the statue, entitled "Poe Returns to Boston," the author is depicted with a large raven, and is carrying a suitcase full of his writing manuscripts. The sculptor was Stephanic Rocknak.
Author Michael Quinlin, who created the Irish Heritage Trail in 1994 while working at the city's Parks and Recreation Department, says, "The addition of the Edgar Allan Poe statue to the Irish Heritage Trail will give visitors yet another way to appreciate the city's rich literary and ethnic heritage."
Author Michael Quinlin, who created the Irish Heritage Trail in 1994 while working at the city's Parks and Recreation Department, says, "The addition of the Edgar Allan Poe statue to the Irish Heritage Trail will give visitors yet another way to appreciate the city's rich literary and ethnic heritage."
Three years after his birth in Boston, Edgar’s father died of consumption and his mother died a month later. Poe was adopted and raised by the Allan family in Richmond, VA, but he returned to Boston often as a young man. His first book of poems, Tamerlane, was published here in 1827 when he was just 18. Poe also enlisted in the U.S. Army in Boston and was stationed on Castle Island in South Boston for five months. Legend has it that his famous story, The Cask of Amontillado, was inspired by his time at Castle Island, according to the New England Historical Society.
While Poe clashed with Boston’s literary elite such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Boston has been proud to claim Poe as a native son in recent years. In December, 2009, on the centenary of Poe’s birth, the Boston Public Library presented an exhibit entitled, "The Raven in the Frog Pond: Edgar Allan Poe and the City of Boston." The exhibit ran through March 2010.
Photo courtesy of the Edgar Allan Poe Bronze Bust Project
In 2014, a bust of Edgar Allan Poe was created by sculptor Bryan Moore. It was located in the Abbey Room and later moved to the Johnson wing of the BPL. The Library contains a number of Poe’s original letters in correspondence with Longfellow and other literary figures.
In April, 2022, the Poe Studies Association held the 5th International Edgar Allan Poe Conference at historic Omni Parker House in downtown Boston. And in March, 2024, the City of Lowell introduced its Annual "Poe in Lowell" celebration of the writer's visit to Lowell.
Today the Edgar Allan Poe statue is popular among visitors who stop to take group photos and selfies.
Photo courtesy of Michael Quinlin
Poe also has an interesting affiliation to one of the other stops along the Irish Heritage Trail: the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Flagstaff Hill in Boston Common, created by Irish immigrant sculptor Martin Milmore and unveiled on September 17, 1877. It was Professor Lewis who pointed out, in a 2020 story in The Boston Globe, that a cameo of Poe was actually carved into one of the four mezzo-rilevos surrounding the monument.
In addition, Castle Island in South Boston, where Poe spent time as a solider, is part of the trail's neighborhood landmarks.
Read information about the 30th anniversary of the IrishHeritageTrail.com, and some of the additional Irish-themed landmarks being added across Massachusetts in the coming months.
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