Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
18 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
20 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
22 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
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

Added By
Sarah Bond
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Raven Room   JoshBergland19/CC BY 2.0
The Raven Room   JoshBergland19/CC BY 2.0
The stuffed raven on the windowsill.   Emory Maiden on Flickr
  RoadUnraveled / Atlas Obscura User
The Raven Room   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Edgar Allan Poe   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Poe’s desk   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Raven Society pin   LJinLA / Atlas Obscura User
Historical Marker   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Nevermore!   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Plaque   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Poe’s college room at University of Virginia   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Poe Room at University of Virginia   rfinkels / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Button for recorded message   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
The room is full of antique furniture from Poe’s short stint at UVA.  
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.  
Rear window   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

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

Community Contributors

Added By

bondsarah007

Edited By

CC, Mark Mones, EricGrundhauser, Meg...

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

Published

October 7, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
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
Get Directions

Nearby Places

University of Virginia's Seven Society

Charlottesville, Virginia

miles away

University of Virginia’s Hidden Chemical Hearth

Charlottesville, Virginia

miles away

Headstone of Anna Anderson

Charlottesville, Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Charlottesville

Charlottesville

Virginia

Places 7
Stories 4

Nearby Places

University of Virginia's Seven Society

Charlottesville, Virginia

miles away

University of Virginia’s Hidden Chemical Hearth

Charlottesville, Virginia

miles away

Headstone of Anna Anderson

Charlottesville, Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Charlottesville

Charlottesville

Virginia

Places 7
Stories 4

Related Stories and Lists

12 Important Places in Edgar Allan Poe's Life (and Death)

List

By Atlas Obscura

21 College and University Museums

List

By Jonathan Carey

10 Places That Rejected Poe in Life But Celebrate Him in Death

edgar allan poe

By Molly McBride Jacobson

Related Places

  • Bullet Baba’s Shrine

    Bandai, India

    Bullet Baba Shrine

    Liquor and flowers mark a holy site for Indian motorcycle riders.

  • Thomas and Mary Howard.

    Rudbaxton, Wales

    Church of St. Michael

    Eerily lifelike effigies stare at everyone who enters this sanctuary.

  • The Dragon Rib of Atessa

    Atessa, Italy

    The Dragon Rib of Atessa

    A preserved dragon's rib that remembers the legend of the founding of the city of Atessa.

  • Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis.

    Samarkand, Uzbekistan

    Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis

    The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.

  • People always put fresh flowers in Doc’s hand.

    Monterey, California

    Doc Ricketts Memorial

    Fake rail crossings mark the site of an influential doctor's demise.

  • New Yorker Hotel

    New York, New York

    New Yorker Hotel

    The New York hotel where tragic visionary Nikola Tesla spent his final hours, destitute and alone but for the pigeons.

  • Poe Cottage in the Bronx

    Bronx, New York

    Edgar Allan Poe Cottage

    The famous author's cottage hideaway.

  • Santuario de Torreciudad

    Naval, Spain

    Sanctuary of Torreciudad

    Sanctuary on a ridge near an ancient shrine to a "Black Madonna" built by the founder of Opus Dei.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.