Old Stone House
Also known as: Poe Museum
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Why it's listed
Tucked against the front edge of its lot in Richmond's oldest neighborhood, Shockoe Valley, the Old Stone House is a small colonial townhouse of coursed rubble stone, probably built around the second quarter of the eighteenth century. It has a three-bay facade, a gable roof with dormers, and a simple hall-and-parlor interior with plastered walls. The rounded brown stones were likely taken from the nearby James River. It is Richmond's only surviving colonial dwelling and a rare regional example of colonial stone construction. Firm records begin in 1783, when Samuel Ege, a flour inspector, lived there. The Ege family held it until a 1911 auction, when the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities acquired it and saved it from demolition. After use as an antique shop and a period of vacancy, it became a shrine to Edgar Allan Poe and opened as the Poe Museum in 1922. Poe never lived there. Today it is shown as a colonial residence beside a garden and museum buildings.
Significance in brief: It is Richmond's only surviving colonial dwelling and a rare regional example of colonial-period stone construction. It retains much early fabric and has few major alterations. It has also been used since the 1920s as a museum honoring Edgar Allan Poe and early Richmond history.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 73002222, listed November 14, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1914 E. Main St., Richmond (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Richmond (city and county) |
| Listed | November 14, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73002222 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Colonial townhouse; three-bay facade, gable roof with dormers, coursed rubble stone walls |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Good condition; occupied and used as a museum (Poe Museum), with a formal garden and twentieth century annex and museum buildings. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.53220, -77.42611 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 73002222.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q136720428
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.