Edgar Allan Poe, born on January 19, 1809, is considered by many to be the master of mystery and macabre in American literature. His short stories and poems have haunted generations, his work being its own tell-tale heart beating beneath the floorboards of American classrooms. (Curiously, while Poe was alive, his best-selling work was a guide to seashells.)

We’ve put together a list of places that influenced Poe from his birth in Boston, Massachusetts, to his unceremonious death in a Baltimore gutter. From a 19th-century library favored by Poe and other writers to the tavern that claims to have served the poet his final drink, these places offer a glimpse into the writer’s life.