Author Interiors: Edgar Allan Poe's Dorm Room

Edgar Allan Poe was one consistent guy. Although he was destined for posthumous literary greatness, during his lifetime he was seemingly best at being the Lindsay Lohan of his day. (But she's going to have to exert herself if she wants to surpass his dying-in-the-gutter stunt.) One of the many opportunities Poe thumbed his tipsy nose at was post-secondary education at the University of Virginia. Despite inheriting $750,000 in 1825, Poe was forced to drop out of the college in 1826 due to lack of funds. Apparently, he was one atrocious card player. 

But although Poe spent only one year studying at UVA, his time at the college has been memorialized by way of his former dorm room. The room has been restored twice and is currently maintained by members of UVA's Raven Society, which recognizes academic excellence at the school and was named for Poe's most famous creation. Every year, the group selects one member to act as the sole caretaker of Poe's old room, which is numbered, fittingly enough, 13. The room houses period-appropriate furniture, stacks of Poe's works and, of course, a stuffed raven. (And check out that mattress - I think today's dorm beds are actually an improvement.)

You can learn more about the room and its upkeep, as well as the lucky guy who was in charge of dusting this year here. 

[via Apartment Therapy]