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All the United States Virginia Charlottesville The Raven Room

The Raven Room

Edgar Allan Poe's old dorm is now a shrine to the author's legacy.

Charlottesville, Virginia

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Sarah Bond
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The Raven Room   JoshBergland19/CC BY 2.0
The stuffed raven on the windowsill.   Emory Maiden on Flickr
Button for recorded message   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
The Raven Room   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Plaque   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Nevermore!   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Poe’s desk   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Edgar Allan Poe   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Poe’s college room at University of Virginia   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Historical Marker   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Poe Room at University of Virginia   rfinkels / Atlas Obscura User
I had the opportunity to visit, and step foot in, the Raven Room in January 2017. If you’re a Poe fan definitely contact the Raven Society and ask to visit the room.  
The room is full of antique furniture from Poe’s short stint at UVA.  
  RoadUnraveled / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Raven Society pin   LJinLA / Atlas Obscura User
Rear window   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Edgar Allan Poe only studied at the University of Virginia for one year in 1826, but his dorm room has been preserved by an elite group of students who still hold midnight initiations in the cramped quarters.

The ominously numbered dorm 13 West Range is now more commonly known as The Raven Room. The small room was first restored to its Poe-era condition in 1924 by an architecture professor who was a part of the exclusive Raven Society. The society was started in 1904 as a means to honor scholarly pursuits and exceptional students and faculty, and they maintain the Raven Room to this day. The furnishings in the room include a settee from one of Poe's actual homes, a writing desk complete with black feather quill, and of course, a stuffed raven on the window sill, accompanied by a bust of Pallas. Visitors can view the room through a glass door and listen to the accompanying audio display about Poe's life.

The Raven Society still uses The Raven Room to initiate new members in secretive midnight ceremonies, and while their pursuits are strictly academic, Poe would likely have approved of their dramatic use of his old college haunt.        

Related Tags

Monuments Literature Colleges Memento Mori Places To Stay Sacred Spaces Edgar Allan Poe Shrines

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bondsarah007

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CC, Mark Mones, EricGrundhauser, Meg...

  • CC
  • Mark Mones
  • EricGrundhauser
  • Meg
  • SEANETTA
  • rfinkels
  • RoadUnraveled
  • LJinLA
  • blimpcaptain
  • Jason Michael Walker

Published

October 7, 2013

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Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven_Society
  • http://uvamagazine.org/university_digest/article/the_caretaker_of_no._13/#.UlLb9GTuU0M
  • http://aig.alumni.virginia.edu/raven/
The Raven Room
13 E Range
Charlottesville, Virginia, 22903
United States
38.035565, -78.504899
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