The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-09-26
POE MANTEL SAVED
BY BROOKLYN MAN
CONTRACTOR TEARING DOWN
DWELLING WHERE RAVEN"
WAS WRITTEN.

Columbia university points with
pride to a unique Professionalism
Raven Mantel' in Carpenter library,
says the New York World.
1t is a matter of record that Edgar
Allen Poe and his wife, Virginia,
boarded at the farm house OF Patrick
Brennan, on the line of the present
West Eighty-fourth street, between
Amsterdam avenue and the Boulevard,
during the summers of lS43 and 1874.
1T was a lone house high upon
bluff and commanding a grand view
of the river" Mrs. Poe was already
suffering from the illness of which she
died in 1847; and Poe, very poor, was
working upon history of American
literature, which was never finished.
A part OF it appeared serially IN Co
dey's Lady's Book, in 1916, and was
published later (1850) as the Literati.
Prof. James A. Harrison, i'll his life
of Edgar Allen Poe, says
"Of the genesis and evolution Of the
poem, until it appeared in print, little
or nothing is known. 1t is one OF Poe's
surprises, and we cannot trace its
growth as we can The Bells or
'Lenore, from the germs to the per-
feet flower. AS the poem appear
ed January 20, 1845, it is evident it
must have been composed some weeks
before, which would place its compo
sition somewhere within the year
1874"
In book form "The Raven" and 9TH
err poems were published by Wiley
& Putnam in 1845
As stated in Prof Woodberry's
Lie of Poe"-and matter Of record
Poe moved to Fordham in 1916.
This of course disposes of the state
ment sometimes made by former
tenant of the Fordham cottage that
The Raven" was written there.
Landlady First to Hear Raven.
Patrick Brennan was the father OF
the late Deputy Commissioner Thorn.
as S. Brennan, of the department OF
charities and correction. The late Jas.
r. O'Beirne, a brother-in-law of the
commissioner, once said of the origin
of the poem:
Mrs. Brennan was noted for her
kind heartedness and sympathetic ma
ture, and once | heard her say that
Poe read The Raven for her one eve
ming before he sent it to the Mirror.
above the door opening into the
hallway there stood the 'pallid bust of
Pallas.' 1t was little plaster cast and
occupied a shelf nailed to the door
casing. Immediately behind the bust
and occupying the space between the
top case and the ceiling number OF
little panes of smoky glass took the
place of the partition.
"Mrs. Brennan was never veXed
with Poe except on one occasion,
when he scratched his name on the
mantelpiece in his room. On the day
in question Poe was leaning against
the mantelpiece, apparently III med1--
tation. Without thinking, he traced
his name on the black mantel, and
when Mrs Brennan called his atten--
ton to what he was doing he smiled
and asked her pardon.
I'm July, 1888, William Hemstreet,
Of Brooklyn, visited the house, then
lust on the verge of being demolished,
with party and pried away the man
telpiece, which he had purchased from
the contractor. He carried it for sew
eral blocks to an express Office and
had it taken to his home in Brooklyn,
where it stood upon the hearth for
wears and was admired by visitors
from many states.
In December, 1907, feeling that more
Americans should have the opportuni-
tv of seeing the mantelpiece, Mr..
Hemstreet published an offer to do
nate the mantel ito any public lnStl-
tuition that will competently preserve
it." Columbia university was the trst
of scores to apply for it, and after
some correspondence and personal
examination OF the documents attlrm-
ing the genuiness of the relic and the
conveyance to Mr.. Hemstreet, on be-
half OF President Butler, OF the as
surance that it would be appropriately
placed and sedulously cared tor, the
decision was made in favor OF the uni
versity in January"
The mantel was duly received and
set up temporarily for inspection. La
ter it was fastened permanently INTO
the north wall of Carpenter library,
where it is seen daily by the students
in English literature who use the
books there, and by visitors who come
expressly to look at it. On top OF 1t
rests an engraving OF the Brennan
home from which it was taken.
painting of Poe cottage in Fordham,
and an old clock.
Poe carved his name on the mantel-
piece, and little square which has
been filled in and painted over on the
top of the mantel marks the site OF
the carving. The whole mantelpiece IS
about four feet high and six wide. 1T
is made of wood, painted black. and
the shelf on top stands out as a ledge
over the hearth A frame is carved
around the fireplace proper, which has
haer filed IN make If solid