Poe lived in Philadelphia for six years from 1838-1844. During this period, he wrote "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Pit and the Pendulum", and "The Masque of the Red Death". He lived in several houses, only one is still standing.
If you visit Philadelphia, I would recommend visiting the Poe house in the Spring Garden area of the city. Admission is free and a guided tour is offered.
You enter the museum in the house next door. The park ranger greets you and briefly gives you information about the house. In the next room is a short video on Poe. Then you enter the eerie house of Poe.
The rooms are very small with layers of paint peeling off. The house has two floors. As I walked up the creepy steps, I could picture his solemn face. But the most disturbing part of the house is the basement. This was were Poe wrote the Pit and the Pendulum. The steps are so decrepit, they were roped off. The basement was very cold and dark, only daylight from a small window. This was the end of the tour and I was happy to leave this dark area.
Do something other than the usual when visiting Philadelphia, take a trip to Spring Garden and see the Poe house.