The 203 year old house in the village of Fordham where the great poet Edgar Allan Poe spent the last years of his life is now open 4 days a week for all to enjoy and absorb the history of this celebrated man and his life. Visitors can now enjoy a visit to the cottage on Thursdays and Fridays from 10AM – 3PM, Saturdays from 10AM – 4PM, and Sundays from 1PM – 5PM.
More details below in the press release issued by the Bronx County Historical Society who manages this great, historic treasure of our borough:
EXTENDED VISITING HOURS AND AUDIO TOUR
AT THE EDGAR ALLAN POE COTTAGE!
The Bronx County Historical Society is proud to announce extended hours at the landmark historic house Edgar Allan Poe Cottage along with an audio tour to enhance the experience of a place with such an extraordinary American legacy. Since its opening after a yearlong restoration in 2011, The Society began to explore new ways to make Poe Cottage more accessible to the rapidly growing Bronx community.
Although the cottage is 203 years old and the last remaining structure of the old 19th century village of Fordham, it was important to bring the famed historic house museum up to date with new technological means. So in 2012, The Bronx County Historical Society and the Historic House Trust of New York City banded together and developed an audio tour that can be accessed from all over the world. By dialing (718) 971-2156 or simply scanning with a smartphone a QR code located on the Poe Cottage webpage or throughout the historic house museum, one can hear the story of the great American writer’s experience living at the cottage along with sound recordings of people reading works that Poe wrote in the house, even in Spanish. Besides unlimited accessibility and
for those with mobility and sight limitations, the Poe Cottage audio tour gives non-English speaking Bronxites an opportunity to learn more about the famed poet, as there are plans to expand the audio tour to include other languages.
Yet, The Bronx County Historical Society thought an audio tour was just not enough.
With the cottage’s online media presence on popular sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the demand to visit the last place where Poe lived and wrote such great pieces like the “Cask of Amontillado” and “The Bells” rapidly grew. To satisfy mounting requests, The Society extended the cottage public visiting hours two extra days, Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 3pm, in addition to its weekend hours. This gives The Bronx community and tourists the opportunity to visit the cottage during the week.
With these exciting and innovating implementations, The Society continues their mission to keep Poe’s legacy alive in the vibrant Bronx community.
For more information on these exciting features at Poe Cottage, please call The Society at (718) 881-8900 or visit http://bronxhistoricalsociety.org/poecottage.html.
The Bronx County Historical Society was founded in 1955 for the purpose of promoting knowledge, interest and research in The Bronx. The Society administers The Museum of Bronx History, Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, a Research Library, and the Bronx County Archives; publishes books, journals and newsletters; conducts school programs, historical tours, lectures, conferences, archaeological digs, and commemorations; designs exhibitions, sponsors various expeditions, and produces radio shows and cable TV programs. The Society is active in furthering the arts, in preserving the natural resources of The Bronx and in creating the sense of pride in The Bronx Community. The Bronx County Historical Society encourages the establishment of named endowment funds. Funds may be created to support many Society programs, or may be established for restricted use. The funds appear permanently on the financial records of The Society in recognition of their ongoing support of its work.
The Bronx County Historical Society is partially supported through funds and services provided by the NYC Departments of Cultural Affairs and Parks and Recreation, the Historic House Trust of New York City, the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the NYS Library, The Bronx City Council Delegation, the Office of the President of the Borough of The Bronx, the Bronx Delegations of the NYS Assembly and the NYS Senate, the H.W. Wilson Foundation, the Astor Fund, the Carnegie Foundation, the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation, The New York Times Foundation, the Verizon Foundation, the New Yankee Stadium Community Benefits Fund, the Susan Tane Foundation, the New York Public Library, and The Bronx Chamber of Commerce.
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