The Poe Society of Baltimore’s view, as commonly summarized online, is that while Edgar Allan Poe personally regarded himself as a Virginian and called Virginia his home, Baltimore is viewed by the Society as the city where “Edgar Allan Poe became Edgar Allan Poe.”

Their core position

  • The Society acknowledges that Poe identified as a Virginian and considered Virginia his home in life.
  • At the same time, it argues that Baltimore is the place that most truly defines Poe in terms of both his life and his work.

What this means for “where he calls home”

  • When responding to the claim that Poe’s home is Virginia, the Society does not outright deny it; instead, it accepts that Poe called Virginia home.
  • However, it emphasizes that Baltimore is where his literary identity was fully formed and thus claims a special, defining connection to him beyond simple residence.

How this is often phrased

  • A frequently quoted summary is that Baltimore is “where Edgar Allan Poe became the Edgar Allan Poe that he is today,” highlighting the city’s role in shaping his legacy.
  • In forum-style answers and Q&A pages, this is used to explain that the Society balances respect for Poe’s own statement (Virginia as home) with a strong argument for Baltimore as the center of his enduring literary identity.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.