1897 Poe House | Cape Fear Museum

The 1897 Poe House is so named because it was built in the year 1897 and it was the home of the E.A. Poe family. Mr. E.A. Poe was a local businessman and owner of the Poe Brick Company, not the famous writer of the macabre! The deed of the house is in the name of his wife, Josephine Montague Poe, originally from Wake County, who married Poe in 1880. Learn about life in the first decades of the twentieth century and the changes that defined this era by touring the home of an affluent Fayetteville businessman and his family. Tours highlight women's roles, African American history, children's roles, and technological, economic, and social changes in southern North Carolina and the country during this era.

Effective Tuesday, March 8, 2022 masks will be optional for visitors and staff at the Museum of the Cape Fear and 1897 Poe House.

Guided tours of the 1897 Poe House are offered at 11:00, 1:00, and 3:00 pm Tuesday-Friday. On Saturday tours are given on the hour beginning at 10:00, with the last tour at 4:00 pm. On Sunday tours are given on the hour beginning at 1:00, with the last tour at 4:00 pm. Visitors must check in at the Museum of the Cape Fear lobby to sign up for the tour. Suggested donation $2 per adult and $1 per child under age 12 yrs.

Historical Events of the Time Period

In 1897, the local paper supported William Jennings Bryan for president. Bryan was defeated by William McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901 and succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt.
In 1897, Pepsi-Cola, concocted by a pharmacist in New Bern, NC named Caleb Bradham, turned one year old.
The New York Sun runs the famous editorial "Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus."
Thomas Edison patented his movie camera Kinetograph.
Amelia Earhart is born in Kansas.
The first Library of Congress building opens it doors to the public.
Elias Carr served as Governor of North Carolina until 1897 when he was replaced by Daniel Russell.
Women's suffrage movement continues throughout the United States.
The Spanish-American War begins in 1898.
Spanish Flu Pandemic 1918-1920.

Invoking the Spirits: A Poe House Halloween

Written by Megan Maxwell, 1897 Poe House Education Coordinator

Produced and Directed by Jonathan Hornby Productions

The Family

A family portrait of the Poe Family — The E.A. Poe Family circa 1910. Seated in front are E.A. Poe and Josephine Poe. Their children from Left to Right: Dixie, James, Josie, Allan, Helen, Hilda, Margaret and Lillie.

Left: Domestic servants, Nancy the cook and Jenny the nurse in the Poe House backyard c.1900; Center: The Poe House c.1900; Right: The Poe Brickyard c.1900-1910