Edgar Allan Poe in South Carolina

Presented by Dr. Patricia McNeely 

Edgar Allan Poe was stationed at Fort Moultrie in 1827 and 1828 under the assumed name of Edgar Perry. While there, Poe was gathering material for the first detective stories in the English language, including The Goldbug, which was set on Sullivan’s Island. He also created the first American detective—C. Auguste Dupin, who was the model for Sherlock Holmes and other modern detectives. The time he spent in South Carolina had a major impact on his literary career, and Charlestonians are certain that the ghost of Annabel Lee still wanders in a downtown cemetery.

USC Professor Emerita Patricia G. “Pat” McNeely taught writing and reporting in the College of Journalism for 33 years. Before joining the USC faculty, McNeely was a reporter and editor for The Greenville News, The State and The Columbia Record. She has published several books on South Carolina and Southern history.

Lunchbox Learning is generously sponsored by: