The Gardens of the Edgar Allan Poe Museum
Certified landscape architecture and design in Richmond and the Northern Neck areas of Virginia.
Located in The Old Stone House of Shockoe Bottom, the The Edgar Allan Poe Museum is a rare testament to the work of an author. The gardens there are being renovated based on an extensive research project.
When the Old Stone House was leased to Mr. and Mrs. Archer G. Jones in 1921, they conceived of a place that would honor and chronicle the timeless work of Edgar Allan Poe. They set about recruiting volunteers for the project and soliciting donations of all types of “Poeana” to be housed in the Stone House. It was also the vision of Mrs. Jones to create a landscape around the building to capture the author’s inspirations that he often found in gardens. Poe’s romantic concept of an ‘enchanted garden’ can be found in many writings, but in none more poignantly than the description of a magical rose garden in his famous “To Helen”. Indeed, the writings of Poe are full of mention of hundreds of plants revealing his fascination and appreciation of the botanic world. The author used the gothic landscape to describe realms of existential beauty, mystery, and man’s changing relationships with nature. Poe’s was a fascination that took root in the walled gardens and leafy cobbled streets of Richmond.
The original layout of the garden was designed by two local architects, in June of 1921. The plans depicted two long brick walks framing the fountain and shrine of the poem. A sundial was also placed where the urn stands now. A greenhouse was also designed by the architects for the back northwestern corner of the garden. Upon its initial construction the garden not only captured the writings of Poe, but also captured the historic materials of a quickly changing city. Not only were the artifacts of an influential writer to be preserved within the walls of the Poe Shrine, but buildings associated with Poe and the history of Richmond was also preserved.
The bricks and granite lintels used to construct the Shrine as well as the original brick walks were taken from the demolished building housing the Southern Literary Messenger, a publication where Poe worked for many years during his residency in Richmond. The building stood at Franklin and 15th Streets and was demolished in 1916 only to sit unattended for years. The massive stone benches are from the Yarrington Boarding House at Twelfth and Bank Streets, where Poe once boarded and was married. The granite stone used to pave the terrace behind the Old Stone House and near the fountain once served as pavement for Broad Street near St John’s Church, and was purportedly taken when Broad Street was first paved. Even the English Ivy was taken from the grave of Poe’s mother in the graveyard of St John’s Church.
Renovations of the garden were based on research undertaken in libraries across the city. In 2008 the first of a phased series of improvements began in the gardens. The above information was taken from a manuscript written by Drew Harrigan describing the history and cultural relevance of the gardens at the Poe museum, due to be published in late 2011.
