h.p. lovecraft house tour

The following map and descriptions are used as a basis for walking tours at the NecronomiCon. An Adobe Acrobat version is also available.

• Roger Williams National Memorial Park – Commemorating the site on which Roger Williams founded Providence in 1636.
• Cathedral of St. John, Episcopal , 271 North Main Street (1810) – Founded in 1720 as King’s Church, both Lovecraft and Poe haunted the graveyard of this church. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is both a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Site. (SH, CDW)
• Sarah Helen Whitman House , 88 Benefit Street (1783–92) – Home of the poetess courted by Poe.
• Sullivan Dorr House , 109 Benefit Street (1809) – Designed by John Holden Greene, this house sits on land that was once owned by Roger Williams, and where he was originally buried in 1683.
• F.E. Seagrave House , 119 Benefit Street – In 1933 Lovecraft nearly moved into this house instead of the Samuel B. Mumford House.
• Stephen Harris House , 135 Benefit Street (1763) – “The Shunned House” of Lovecraft’s story, which Lovecraft referred to as the Babbitt House. This house was abandoned and in poor condition during Lovecraft’s day. (SH)
• The Old Court Bed & Breakfast , 144 Benefit Street (1863) – Originally built as a rectory for St. John’s Episcopal Church, this building is now a lovely B&B. In Lovecraft’s Providence & Adjacent Parts, Henry L.P. Beckwith comments that this building was Lovecraft’s basis for the home of Dr. Elihu Whipple in “The Shunned House” although the Benjamin Cushing house (see number 9) is a much more likely candidate. (SH)
• The Old State House , 150 Benefit Street (1762, 1850–51, 1867, 1904–06) – From this building Rhode Island declared its independence from Great Britain on May 4, 1776 – two months before the other colonies did so. It is now a National Historic Landmark. (CDW)
• Benjamin Cushing House , 40 North Court Street (1737) – A more likely candidate for the Dr. Elihu Whipple house, this “Georgian homestead with knocker and iron-railed steps” is the oldest house on College Hill. (SH)
• Shakespeare’s Head , 21 Meeting Street (1772) – John Carter, apprentice to Benjamin Franklin, published the Providence Gazette and Country Journal in this building, which was also a post office and bookstore. It is now home to the Providence Preservation Society. (CDW)
• The Brick Schoolhouse , 24 Meeting Street (1769) – Built to serve as a school and for town meetings, this building became the temporary home for Brown University when it moved from Warren to Providence in 1770. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. (CDW)
• Site of the Golden Ball Inn (1783) – Demolished since Lovecraft’s day, this inn had such illustrious visitors as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Edgar Allan Poe. (SH, CDW)
• Home of Franklin C. and Lillian D. Clark , 161 Benefit Street – This was once the home of Lovecraft’s uncle and aunt.
• The Marine Corps Arsenal , 176 Benefit Street (1840) – This building is the armory of the Providence Marine Corps of Artillery.
• The Colonial Apartments , 175–185 Benefit Street (1929) – Lovecraft bemoaned the fact that this “wretched ultra-modern apartment-house with all urban sophistications” replaced the “bit of actual country remaining” on College Hill.
• Benefit-Dexter House , 187 Benefit Street – Once the Knowles Funeral Home, where the funerals of Lovecraft and his aunt, Lillian, were held.
• Providence Art Club , 10 and 11 Thomas Street (1786–89 and 1791) – Lovecraft and his aunts attended art shows here. (CC)
• Fleur de Lys Studio , 7 Thomas Street (1885) – This house was built by Providence artist Sydney Richmond Burleigh, and was given as the home of artist Henry Anthony Wilcox in “The Call of Cthulhu.” (CC)
• First Baptist Meetinghouse , 75 North Main Street (1775) – The congregation was founded in 1638 by Roger Williams, and this is the third church they built in Providence. It is the oldest Baptist church, the mother church of the Baptists, and a National Historic Landmark. (CDW)
• Market House , 4 South Main Street (1773–74) – The lower floor of this building served as a market; the second was used as a banquet hall, barracks, and office for the first mayor. The “Providence Tea Party” took place here in 1775. Markers at its southwest corner show the high water marks during the gales of 1815 and 1938. (SH, CDW)
• Providence County Superior Courthouse , 250 Benefit Street (1924–33) – This immense building houses the State Supreme Court, the Superior Courts, the Attorney General’s department, and other offices.
• Joseph Brown House , 50 South Main Street (1774) – From 1791 to 1929 this building was occupied by the Providence Bank, the oldest banking institution in New England and second oldest in the country. It is now an office building. (CDW)
• Stephen Hopkins House , 15 Hopkins Street (1707, 1743) – Hopkins was the first Chancellor of Brown University, Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Rhode Island, ten times governor, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. A National Historic Landmark. (CDW)
• Providence Athenæum , 251 Benefit Street (1836–37) – A frequent haunt of Lovecraft’s, Poe courted Sarah Helen Whitman here. The library owns a copy of the American Review in which Poe signed below his anonymously published poem, “Ulalume.” (SH, CDW)
• Pendleton House , 232 Benefit Street (1904–08) – Lovecraft visited this museum which was the first in the United States to have an American wing. It contains Charles L. Pendleton’s collection of 18th Century American furniture, silver, china, and paintings.
• List Art Building (1969–71) – Lovecraft’s final home was moved from this location in 1959 (see number 30) to make way for the List Art Building. From the kitchen of the Mumford house, Lovecraft claimed he could look into the stacks of the John Hay Library.
• Van Wickle Gates (1901) and Brown University (1770) – These gates are opened twice a year: once to allow new students in, and once to allow graduates out. A photograph in Selected Letters shows Lovecraft seated here and has the caption, “Lovecraft in Brooklyn.”
• John Hay Library , 20 Prospect Street (1910) – Named after the Brown graduate who was Assistant Private Secretary to Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State under Presidents McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. It holds the largest collection of Lovecraft manuscripts. (CDW, HD)
• H.P. Lovecraft Memorial – Erected in 1990 through the efforts of S.T. Joshi, Will Murray, Jon Cooke, and the Friends of H.P. Lovecraft.
• H.P. Lovecraft Memorial Square – A plaque honoring Lovecraft was installed at the northwest corner of this intersection in 2013.
• Samuel B. Mumford House , 65 Prospect Street (1825) – Lovecraft’s final home, moved to this location in 1959. Lovecraft describes it not only in his letters, but as the home of Robert Blake in “The Haunter of the Dark.” (HD)
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (1913) – This site, one of the highest points in Providence, was used for a warning beacon against Indians in 1667 and against the British in 1775. It was claimed that the beacon could be seen as far away as Cambridge, Massachusetts. (CDW)
• Prospect Terrace , 75 Congdon Street (1867) – This small park was one of Lovecraft’s favorite haunts. The third resting place of Providence’s founder, Roger Williams, is here. The statue in honour of Williams was erected in 1939. (CDW)
• Henry Sprague House , 100 Prospect Street – The address of this house was used as the address of the Ward house in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. (CDW)
• 10 Barnes Street – This was Lovecraft’s home from April 1926 to May 1933. It was also the home of Dr. Marinus Bicknell Willett in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. (CDW)
• “Little white farmhouse” – A colonial home mentioned in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. (CDW)
• Halsey House , 140 Prospect Street (1801) – Built by Colonel Thomas Lloyd Halsey, this home was reputed to be haunted in Lovecraft’s time. It served as the Ward house in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. (CDW)
• Jenckes Street – One of the steepest streets on College Hill; better walked down than up! (CDW)

CC – “The Call of Cthulhu” CDW – The Case of Charles Dexter Ward HD – “The Haunter of the Dark” SH – “The Shunned House”

NecronomiCon Providence

Walking Tours

2024 walking tour tickets are now live get ’em while they last.

We’re very proud to offer four walking tours of Lovecraft’s College Hill for guests and attendees of the convention, led by some very well-versed Lovecraftian scholars and local guides, and organized by Lovecraftian geographer Donovan Loucks. These tours will lead you past Lovecraft’s last two homes as well as over 30 sites described in “ The Shunned House ”, “ The Call of Cthulhu ”, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward , and “ The Haunter of the Dark ”. Each tour takes up two programming slots (3 hours) and costs $15 per person, for those already holding convention passes. Here are the times the walking tours are taking place:

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE!

Tips for visitors.

Tickets: Only 30 tickets will be available for each walking tour. If tickets are sold out for a walking tour, additional visitors may be permitted on the tour at the discretion of the tour guide. However, those who pre-purchase tickets will be allowed on the walking tour before “standby” visitors. NOTE: These tours are meant to be for convention attendees and guests only.

Refunds: Should your plans change, you may request a refund no later than 48 hours prior to your tour. In addition, if we must cancel a tour due to inclement weather or because a guide becomes unable to lead the tour, we will make every effort to refund your money. In addition, we reserve the right to substitute tour guides if some unforeseen circumstances arise.

Check-In: Walking tours depart from the lobby of the Providence Graduate. Arrive at the departure point at least five minutes before your tour is scheduled to depart. Present your ticket to your tour guide, who will check your name off the attendance list.

Tour Length: The linear distance of the walking tour is 2½ miles. Merely walking this route— and not stopping at any of the sites —will take about an hour. Though the walking tour is 2½ miles in length, visitors will also be ascending College Hill, attaining a height about 175 feet (or about 17½ stories) above the entrance to the Providence Graduate.

Preparation: Given the scope of the walking tour, people with infirmities are discouraged from attending. It is highly recommended that you wear comfortable shoes. Also note that, while summer in Providence can be very pleasant, occasionally both the temperature and humidity can rise to a very uncomfortable point. As such, keeping hydrated is important. However, note that there are neither water fountains nor public restrooms along the tour route. And don’t forget to bring your walking tour map from the program guide! If you’re unable to attend one of the scheduled tours, by all means explore Lovecraft’s College Hill on your own using the walking tour map!

Privacy Note: Many of the buildings on the walking tour are private residences. Feel free to enjoy the walking tour from the sidewalks and rights-of-way, but please respect the privacy and property of the current owners.

Your Guide: Finally, be respectful of your tour guide. Remember, your tour guide is working to provide you with the best experience possible. Keep up with your guide and don’t talk while your guide is addressing the group—but please feel free to ask questions. And if you really enjoyed your tour, show your appreciation by tipping your guide!

Purchase Tour Tickets

Walking tour tickets are $15 each for convention attendees and guests, which provides you with a bottle of water and a tour led by an informative guide. To purchase tickets for a given walking tour, you can either visit our eventbright page or, in the window below, simply select the quantity for the tour you’d like and then click on “Checkout”!

Scroll for all ticket options:

#NecronomiConPVD

Our location, questions need more.

Looking for answers? See our Frequently Asked Questions Page .   Writing an article about NecronomiCon Povidence? See our Media Center .   Do you want to Sponsor the Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Council? View our Sponsors page .

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

A Suitcase Full of Books

A Literary Travel Blog

DIY H. P. Lovecraft Tour in Providence, Rhode Island

October 17, 2021 by Elizabeth 1 Comment

Howard Phillips Lovecraft, known as the “father of weird fiction” and the “greatest author of imaginative fiction since Poe ”, and most well known for his horror character Cthulhu, lived most of his life in Providence, Rhode Island. He often used recognizable features of Providence in his writings, so you can spend a day in Providence checking out the city that eeked into his stories and poems. Lovecraft’s writings were not well known or appreciated during his lifetime, and still today the city barely shows its appreciation for its most famous author. Perhaps because his writings are considered very racist and xenephobic today… However, whether you’re a Lovecraft fan or have never read any Lovecraft before, spend a day taking this DIY H. P. Lovecraft tour in Providence, RI. You’ll walk in the footsteps of this weird author and perhaps learn something new along the way!

The Lovecraft Arts and Sciences bookstore calls Providence the “birthplace of weird.” They may have to fight it out with Austin, TX whose motto is “keep Austin weird” , nonetheless, the bookstore should be your first stop.

Lovecraft Arts and Sciences Bookstore

Recognizing that Lovecraft’s sentimentalities towards those not of high class, white, European descent were less than desirable, there is still a space for his writings to be celebrated for the place they hold in literary history, and that space is the Lovecraft Arts and Sciences Bookstore . This small shop, located inside The Arcade, sells more than just books by and about H. P. Lovecraft. The shelves contain novels full of the weird and unexplained “sciences”, horrors, and mystery. This includes, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Houdini, and subjects like mysticism and tarot.

The store also hosts “weird” literary and arts events and activities around Providence, including an annual convention, NecronomiCon .

Lovecraft Walking Tour

If you ask for a Lovecraft walking tour map at Lovecraft Arts and Sciences they may be able to produce a Lovecraft College Hill Walking Tour map, however, you can also order a Literary Providence tour map online ahead of your visit. ( Although the website says it can be found in several local bookstores, I found this to be untrue.)

Not having planned ahead, I acquired the Lovecraft College Hill Walking Tour map at the bookstore. The tour takes you from the bookstore to the residential streets around Brown University and identifies many buildings that either Lovecraft lived in or wrote about. A surprising number of the local residences make appearances either as themselves or as fictionalized versions of themselves in Lovecraft’s stories and poems. For example, Lovecraft’s final home in Providence appears as the home of a character in his short story The Haunter of the Dark . Another house, the Jenckes-Pratt House, appears as itself, described as a “little white farmhouse” in Lovecraft’s The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

Interestingly, none of the former houses in which Lovecraft lived have become Lovecraft house museums, and beside that, his former residences have other historical names on them but no mention of him! For example, the Lovecraft’s final home  is noted by a plaque on the house to be the Samuel B. Mumford house.

There are only two plaques with Lovecraft’s name on them found throughout the tour, one on a memorial dedicated to H. P. Lovecraft, and the other denoting H. P. Lovecraft Memorial Square, which is just a 4 way street stop.

Whether you take the Lovecraft Walking Tour or the Literary Providence tour, you’ll find that Lovecraft wasn’t the only morbid writer to walk these streets. Edgar Allan Poe spent time in Providence as well, and you’ll pass locations Lovecraft would have loved because of his esteem for Poe. Lovecraft called Poe his “God of Fiction”. One such site is the Providence Athenaeum where Poe spent much of his time, until his fiance at the time broke his heart by ending their relationship there!

I’ve been told Providence is not safe to walk around at night, and that it recently surpassed NYC as the “murder capitol of the world’. But on a nice sunny day, such as I had while walking through the streets that Lovecraft crafted into his horror stories, the place seemed rather harmless. The most I thought I was at risk of was sunburn and/or heatstroke.

Lovecraft Grave Site

The last stop of the day, the grave of H. P. Lovecraft is a bit of a drive from College Hill. Lovecraft, his parents, and his mother’s family, the Phillips’, are buried in Swan Point Cemetery. Look for the grave with the pens and pencils left in front of it.

Leave a comment!

Are you a Lovecraft fan? Have you been to Providence, R. I.? Are you a fan of “weird” arts and sciences?

Like this post? Save it for later!

About Elizabeth

Reader interactions.

Annie Boochever says

October 17, 2021 at 12:29 pm

HI Sara, Thanks for the tour! Never heard of Lovecraft before. What an interesting character. Thanks for expanding my knowledge of strange authors…. All the best – Annie Boochever

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Registration

H.P. Lovecraft Home - Providence 598 Angell Street - Providence , RI 02906

Description, h.p. lovecraft home - providence.

H.P. Lovecraft's home is on Angell Street in providence, RI.  It was here the author moved to in 1904 and lived until 1924.  He had been born at 194 Angell Street on August 20, 1890 in the home of his maternal grandfather.  In 1893 Lovecraft's father was committed to Butler Hospital for psychiatric care.  Shortly after his father's admission Lovecraft and his mother, Sarah Susan Phillips Lovecraft, permanently moved in with her family to the home at 194 Angell.  They lived there with his aunts, Lillian Phillips and Annie Phillips, and his grandfather, Whipple Phillips until 1904, when Whipple died.  His estate was in financial crisis and the family was forced to move to smaller accomodations.  It was then that Lovecraft and his mother moved into this house at 598 Angell.  He lived here, a sickly child, in relative seclusion for many years.  He came to the attention of Edward F. Daas, the president of the United Amateur Press Association, in 1913 when he noticed Lovecraft's remarks in the letters column of "Argosy" magazine.  He was invited to join UAPA in 1914.  Through this association he was able to develop a large network of colleagues, many of whom would go on to become noted writers in their own right.  In 1919 Lovecraft's mother was committed to Butler Hospital for depression, the same facility his father had lived in until his death in 1898.  She would die here, also, in 1921 from complications following a gallbladder surgery.  Shortly after his mother's death, Lovecraft was attending a journalists convention in Boston when he met Sonia Greene, a hat shop owner and widow from New York.  The two married on March 3, 1924 and moved into her Brooklyn apartment, where she financially supported him during his search for literary success.  Lovecraft's birthplace at 194 Angell was torn down in 1961.

Featured Historic Homes

101 chester street front royal, va, 319 south quincy street commerce, ok, 70588 frank sinatra drive rancho mirage, ca, useful links.

© Copyright 2015-2019 by History's Homes. All rights reserved.

H.P. Lovecraft Walking Tour of Providence

I have undertaken many self-guided Lovecraft-centric perambulations in Providence, and I recently expanded my dossier on the subject thanks to pointers received at the scholarly HPL conference held in the city in 2013. The notes that follow are the culmination of those researches and explorations.

If the avid Lovecraftian were to follow these addresses in succession as they appear below (presumably, with the aid of a smartphone's GPS), he shall find them laid out in a rationalized circumnavigatory trajectory, terminating roughly where it started. It's a multi-hour affair with a considerable amount of walking, so be prepared.

Providence Station

The present Amtrak station isn't the same physical building to which Lovecraft would have returned from his (rare) exploits abroad (and by that I of course mean exotic locales such as Vermont), but coming to Providence Station by train—in my case from Boston—still has a certain flavor of the Lovecraftian past about it.

Well—the train sped on, & I experienced silent convulsions of joy in returning step by step to a waking & tri-dimensional life. New Haven—New London—& then quaint Mystic, with its colonial hillside & landlocked cove. Then at last a still subtler magick fill’d the air—nobler roofs & steeples, with the train rushing airily above them on its lofty viaduct—Westerly—in His Majesty’s Province of RHODE-ISLAND & PROVIDENCE-PLANTATIONS! GOD SAVE THE KING!! Intoxication follow’d—Kingston—East Greenwich with its steep Georgian alleys climbing up from the railway—Apponaug & its ancient roofs—Auburn—just outside the city limits—I fumble with bags & wraps in a desperate effort to appear calm—THEN—a delirious marble dome outside the window—a hissing of air brakes—a slackening of speed—surges of ecstasy & dropping of clouds from my eyes & mind—HOME—UNION STATION—PROVIDENCE!!!! —HPL: Letter to Frank Belknap Long, 1 May 1926

Providence Biltmore

11 Dorrance St

NecronomiCon 2013 was largely held here, featuring talks by the most eminent living Lovecraft scholars (with only the conspicuous exception of HPL's greatest hagiographer, Michel Houellebecq).

At the high square where Broad, Weybosset, and Empire Streets join, he saw before and below him in the fire of sunset the pleasant, remembered houses and domes and steeples of the old town; and his head swam curiously as the vehicle rolled down the terminal behind the Biltmore, bringing into view the great dome and soft, roof-pierced greenery of the ancient hill across the river, and the tall colonial spire of the First Baptist Church limned pink in the magic evening light against the fresh springtime verdure of its precipitous background. Old Providence! It was this place and the mysterious forces of its long, continuous history which had brought him into being, and which had drawn him back toward marvels and secrets whose boundaries no prophet might fix. Here lay the arcana, wondrous or dreadful as the case might be, for which all his years of travel and application had been preparing him. A taxicab whirled him through Post Office Square with its glimpse of the river, the old Market House, and the head of the bay, and up the steep curved slope of Waterman Street to Prospect, where the vast gleaming dome and sunset-flushed Ionic columns of the Christian Science Church beckoned northward. Then eight squares past the fine old estates his childish eyes had known, and the quaint brick sidewalks so often trodden by his youthful feet. And at last the little white overtaken farmhouse on the right, on the left the classic Adam porch and stately bayed facade of the great brick house where he was born. It was twilight, and Charles Dexter Ward had come home. —HPL: "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"

Providence Athenaeum

251 Benefit St.

This was a favorite reading spot of HPL and his greatest source of inspiration, Edgar Allen Poe.

...our old Athenaeum, where Poe spent many an hour, and wrote his name at the bottom of one of his unsigned poems in a magazine... —HPL: Letter to James F. Morton, 3 May 1923

Unlike at the (otherwise rather more impressive) Boston Athenæum , photography is permitted here, and anyone can roam the stacks freely. Only to withdraw books is a membership required.

List Art Center

64 College Street

HPL's final home, the Mumford House (now at 65 Prospect St), was located here. No doubt he would, rightly or wrongly, find the modernist List building that replaced it utterly abhorrent.

John Hay Library

20 Prospect Street

The largest collection of Lovecraft's manuscripts and papers is held here.

Lovecraft Memorial

On the grounds of the Hay Library

Van Wickle Gates

Across from the Hay Library

Lovecraft Birthplace

454 Angell Street

I have always had a deep & persistent notion that life doesn’t amount to very much, & that it would have been better if one had never been born. I have doubted whether anything in existence be worth the sacrifice of simple placidity & freedom from strong emotion, & have thus vegetated along very quietly, more of an epicurean in the strict historical sense than a hedonist of the Cyrenaic kind—which most moderns seem to be. And I still think my phlegmatic way & detached, cosmic attitude have gained me more than they have lost me. Doubtless my position is highly inartistic—but I don't let that worry me. I can summon up enough ghouls & lemures to amuse my idle hours—& it’s all the better if they don’t harrow me up as they used to do in my nervous nightmares—which were most marked when I was six years old. But I digress. —Selected Letters of H.P. Lovecraft , pp 242-243.

There is now a Starbucks across the street, an excellent spot to pause for mid-stroll refreshment and meditation on the foregoing facts.

Lovecraft House (Adolescence and Early Adulthood)

598 Angell Street

This was Lovecraft's home from late childhood until his departure for New York in 1924.

In a 1920 letter he revisits his childhood at length. The little railway set whose cars were made of packing-cases, the coach house where he had set up his puppet theater. And later, the garden he had designed, laying out each of its paths. It was irrigated by a system of canals that were his own handiwork, its ledges enclosed a small lawn at the center of which stood a sundial. It was, he said, "the paradise of my adolescent years." Then comes this passage that concludes the letter: " Then I perceived with horror that I was growing too old for pleasure. Ruthless Time had set its full claw upon me, and I was seventeen. Big boys do not play in toy houses and mock gardens, so I was obliged to turn over my world in sorrow to another and younger boy who dwelt across the lot from me. And since that time I have not delved in the earth or laid out paths and roads. There is too much wistful memory in such procedure, for the fleeting joy of childhood may never be recaptured. Adulthood is hell. " —H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life by Michel Houellebecq, pp 30-31

30 Orchard Avenue

St Martin's Episcopal Church

50 Orchard Ave

Ladd Observatory

210 Doyle Street

Perhaps no single location is more significant to the development of cosmicism .

The late Prof. Upton of Brown, a friend of the family, gave me the freedom of the college obseratory, (Ladd Observatory) & I came & went there at will on my bicycle. Ladd Observatory tops a considerable eminence about a mile from the house. I used to walk up Doyle Avenue with my wheel, but when returning would have a glorious coast down it. —HPL Letter to Reinhardt Kleiner (16 November 1916)

Beginning at the age of 13 and through his teenage years, Lovecraft self-published his own astronomical journal, which featured a hand-penned illustration of Ladd Observatory on its cover.

10 Barnes St.

"The Call of Cthulhu" and most of the other Great Texts (to use Houellebecq's term) would have been written during HPL's tenure here (1926-1933).

Prospect Terrace

48 Congdon St

This used to be a favorite contemplative and reading spot of HPL. I enjoy imagining him sitting on these benches, overlooking the city, dreaming up "horrors unnameable and unaccountable that leer down from the external universes."

The nurse used to stop and sit on the benches of Prospect Terrace to chat with policemen; and one of the child’s first memories was of the great westward sea of hazy roofs and domes and steeples and far hills which he saw one winter afternoon from that great railed embankment, all violet and mystic against a fevered, apocalyptic sunset of reds and golds and purples and curious greens. —HPL, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"

The Mumford House

65 Prospect Street

This the physical where Lovecraft lived during his illness and death. The house has been moved from its location at that time (on College Street around the back of the Hay Library).

…the upper floor of a venerable dwelling in a grassy court off College Street - on the crest of the great eastward hill near the Brown University campus and behind the marble John Hay Library. —HPL, "The Haunter in the Dark"

H.P. Lovecraft Square

Corner of Angell and Prospect Streets

Colonial Apartments

175 Benefit Street

Now a RISD dormitory, HPL sneered at this building during its construction in 1929: "a wretched ultra-modern apartment-house with all urban sophistications"( Selected Letters, Vol 2 , pba355).

Lovecraft Funeral Location

187 Benefit Street

Formerly the Horace B Knowles Funeral Home, now a dormitory.

Providence Art Club

11 Thomas Street

Even the Providence Art Club, anxious to preserve its conservatism, had found [the sensitive artist Henry Wilcox] quite hopeless. —HPL, "The Call of Cthulhu"

An exhibition of Lovecraftian art was held here during NecronomiCon 2013.

Fleur de Lys Studio

7 Thomas Street

Used as the home of Wilcox in "The Call," it bears many bas-reliefs similar to those associated to Wilcox in the text.

First Baptist Church in America

75 North Main Street

The first objective of our trip was that supreme landmark of Providence, the First Baptist Church, finish’d in 1775. This is my maternal ancestral church, but I had not been in the main auditorium since 1895, or in the building at all since 1907, when I gave an illustrated astronomical lecture in the vestry to the Boy’s Club. We found this fane as pleasing within as without, the panelling and the carving above the doors being especially notable as specimens of Georgian workmanship. We ascended to the organ loft, and I endeavour’d to play  Yes, We Have no Bananas , but was balk’d by lack of power, since the machine is not a self-starter.  —HPL, Letter to Samuel Loveman, 5 January 1924

Eminent Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi also gave the NecronomiCon keynote from the pulpit here in 2013.

St John's Church (and churchyard)

271 North Main Street

Poe knew of this place, & is said to have wandered among its whispering willows during his visits here 90 years ago. Last August I shewed this place to two guests, & we all sat down on an altar-tomb & wrote rhymed acrostics on the name of Edgar Allan Poe… —HPL, Letter to Frank Utpatel, 15 February 1937

Lovecraft Grave Site

Swan Point Cemetery, 585 Blackstone Boulevard (best reached by bicycle or car)

Reports are that it isn't permissible to take photographs or grave rubbings here and that groundskeepers will sometimes intervene to prevent such undertakings.

General notes

Providence seems only just recently, at last, to have embraced its Lovecraftian heritage. Bookshops can be found selling volumes of Lovecraft scholarship and criticism. A square has been named after HPL. RISD and the city teamed up to put on a Lovecraft-inspired Waterfire.

No one would have been more shocked by this, but ultimately I'm not sure that Lovecraft himself would have cared all that much. He knew that a glimmer of human posterity, especially of the literary and fashionable kind, was meaningless when viewed against the vast indifference of the cosmos—and that nothing, certainly not the approbation of one's fellow man, can validate or emancipate a human life.

So go to Providence and walk in HPL's footsteps, or don't. In the end, it really doesn't matter. The best consolation we can hope for in life is some small measure of commiseration and camaraderie with our fellow primates struggling with the same human predicament, and at least in this respect Lovecraft offers us more than most—a friend in cosmic horror, a buddy in existential despair, a fellow-traveler on the via dolorosa that we preternaturally sensitive and afflicted walk. You'll find such companionship in his stories, in his letters certainly, and if you look for it, perhaps also to some lesser degree on the path I have laid down above.

I Am Providence: HP Lovecraft Walking Tour

H.P. Lovecraft: "I Am Providence" Walking Tour

Created by (rbra...s.org) on February 29, 2016 - Monday - 9:35 am (Eastern)

Report this to an administrator for review and possible deletion?

Yes   

This will notify an administrator to review this listing and take action, if needed.

Add or edit events and organizations

E-mail address.

Local News From Wrentham To Rumford

H.P. LOVECRAFT WALKING TOUR

Popular Annual Tour Returns to Explore Lovecraft???s Favorite Providence Haunts

PROVIDENCE, R.I. ??? For the past nine years, Providence native and cult horror writer H.P. Lovecraft has been the subject of a popular annual walking tour and film series conducted by the RI Historical Society presented as part of the Flickers??? Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy Horror Film Festival (Vortex). This year???s Festival runs October 17-23, 2016 and the Lovecraft Tour returns for two very special days.

The life and work of Providence’s best-known fantasy and horror author, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, will provide the backdrop for the tour, which will be led by the Rhode Island Historical Society. Lovecraft’s “Providence stories” (written between 1924 and 1935) are the inspiration behind the walk. Lovecraft wrote eloquently, and in great detail, about such landmarks as Prospect Terrace, the First Baptist Church, and Benefit Street houses. Participants will see the site of his former home, as well as locales mentioned in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward , The Haunter of the Dark, The Shunned House, and The Call of Cthulhu .

The tour will be offered on Saturday, October 22 nd and Sunday, October 23 rd , at 12:00 Noon. Following the 90-minute tour, participants will be treated to a ticket to see premiere films inspired by Lovecraft.

Screenings on both days will take place at 2:00 p.m. at the Providence Public Library Theater, 150 Empire Street, Providence.

Tickets for the walking tour are $19 per person, can be purchased online at http://www.film-festival.org/HPLovecraft16.php , and includes a ticket to the film screenings. The HP Lovecraft Walking Tour can also be purchased in advance by calling the RIIFF offices at 401.861.4445. ??

???Lovecraft???s horror writing continues to resonate with audiences today and provides inspiration for some of the most chilling and terrifying stories in the genre,??? commented Shawn Quirk, the Horror Festival Program Director. ???His work has become part of our popular culture and a major source of academic study.???

This year???s Festival is sponsored in part by the Rhode Island Film & Television Office.

EVENT DETAILS:

• H.P. Lovecraft Walking Tour, Saturday, October 22 nd and Sunday, October 23 rd at 12:00 Noon.

The life and work of Providence’s best-known fantasy and horror author, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, provide the backdrop for this walking tour. The tour lasts 90 minutes.

The tour departs from the John Brown House at 52 Power Street, Providence.

Cost: Tickets are $19 per person, include a ticket to the Horror Festival and can be purchased online. The HP Lovecraft Walking Tour can be purchased in advance by calling the RIIFF offices at 401.861.4445 or ordered directly online at http://www.film-festival.org/HPLovecraft16.php

________________________________________

ABOUT THE RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:

The Flickers??? Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), has secured its place in the global community as the portal for the best in international independent cinema, earning the respect of domestic and foreign filmmakers, filmgoers and trend watchers. This confluence of art and commerce brought together world-class celebrities, award-winning filmmakers, new talent and audience members in record numbers last year. Ranked as one of the top 10 Festivals in the United States, RIIFF is a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Animation and Documentary Short Film Academy Awards through its affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Canadian Screen Awards. There are only 6 film festivals worldwide that share this distinction and RIIFF is the only festival in New England. The Festival takes place every August.

For more information about the Flickers??? Rhode Island International Film Festival, running August 8-13, 2017 at The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) and The Vets (formerly Veterans Memorial Auditorium), please visit our website at www.RIFilmFest.org or call 401.861.4445.

• ← Providence Children???s Museum
• Saint John’s School Attleboro →

Sponsors for 2013:

The University of Rhode Island Harrington School of Communications and Media, The URI College of Arts & Sciences, The Film Media Program, and the URI Feinstein College of Continuing Education are proud sponsors of the RI International Horror Film Festival.

2013 Rhode Island International Film Festival®. All Rights Reserved .

Item added to your cart

Hp lovecraft walking tour.

Join us along with The Rhode Island Historical Society for the annual HP Lovecraft walking tour featuring places that were important to his life and...

• hp lovecraft
• Narragansett beer
• rhode island historical society

Join us along with The Rhode Island Historical Society for the annual HP Lovecraft walking tour featuring places that were important to his life and his work around Providence, RI. Tours cost $10 and can be purchased at the start of the tour. The tour begins at the John Brown House Museum, 52 Power Street, Providence, RI 02906 from Noon-1:30.

After the walk, join us to support The Rhode Island Historical Society at Flatbread, 161 Cushing Street Providence, RI from 2-4 pm for the Narragansett After Party. This is your LAST CHANCE to enjoy some honey ale before its gone. For each pint sold, Flatbread along with Narragansett Beer will donate $1 to the Rhode Island Historical Society.

For more information contact The Rhode Island Historical Society at (401) 273-7507.

Subscribe to our emails

Subscribe to our mailing list for insider news, product launches, and more.

• Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
• Opens in a new window.

Your source for Pumpkin Patches, Hayrides, Haunted Houses, Corn Mazes, Museums, Ghost Tours, Costumes Stores & more in New England!

HP Lovecraft & the Salem Connection History Tour

HP Lovecraft was a writer who delved into the genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror. He specialized in the weird that captured the imagination of many of his fans. He loved Providence, RI but one of his other favorite cities was Salem, MA which many believe to be the famed Arkham in his books. He came to Salem several times and used the homes, buildings and the 1692 witchcraft trials as inspiration for some of his tales of the fantastic. Join​​​  Salem Historical Tours for their special Lovecraft History Tour. You’ll learn about the man and how Salem influenced many of his writings and how he references Salem in his books. You’ll visit several locations throughout the city including the Crowninshield-Bentley House, Witch House, Old Train Station location, and more.

90-minute tour. Departs at 7:00pm on select dates.

Reservations strongly suggested.

Admission: $25 for adults $18 children 6-12 (under 6 free) $22 for Seniors (60+), Students, Military, Veterans, Police, Firefighters, Teachers, EMTs, Nurses.

Our walking tours give you a wonderful perspective of our quaint city. We bring you throughout the downtown area as well as the McIntire District and the Seaport area. We do not go inside any buildings. Dogs are allowed on our tours, with the exception of the cemetery.  Access to tour locations is subject to city regulations.

Event Times

There are no upcoming dates scheduled for this event.

• Connecticut
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• Rhode Island

HALLOWEEN NEW ENGLAND

Feed Your Inner Monster at New England's # 1 Website for Halloween Events, Haunted Houses, Haunted Corn Mazes, Haunted Hayrides, Pumpkin Patches, Ghost Tours, Horror Film Screenings, Halloween Supplies and Costume Stores.

Scary story series — H.P. Lovecraft’s “Cool Air” is a chilling way to start the Halloween season

Leave a reply - cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

10 Lovecraft Stories That Need Modern Movie Adaptations

• Key takeaways:
• Lovecraft's work should be acknowledged for its flaws and problematic themes.
• The HBO series Lovecraft Country is a socially relevant and subversive take on Lovecraft's work.
• Lovecraft's stories feature well-crafted monsters and exploring his work can lead to unique adaptations.

H.P. Lovecraft was known for his fantastical novels, whose influence has bled into the cultural perception of horror, making them perfect for modern movie adaptations. Lovecraft is undoubtedly a flawed and prejudiced figure in literature, and any undertaking to adapt his stories should acknowledge the issues of racism, xenophobia, and homophobia in his work. Bringing Lovecraft into the modern era means doing his work justice, as well as exploring how they can be made more reflective of the present day.

The HBO series Lovecraft Country uses Black History to subvert the influences of Lovecraft and create a socially relevant exploration of his work. Upcoming directors and writers should look to the series as an example of how to deal with Lovecraft's legacy today. Understanding Lovecraft for all his controversies and the issues with his work will allow creators to revisit his stories, which are wonderfully crafted and feature some of the best monsters brought to life through fiction.

10 Best H.P. Lovecraft Movie Adaptations

The music of erich zann, published in 1922.

The short story by Lovecraft, The Music of Erich Zann, has not been used as the source material for many film or TV adaptations. However, this is surprising as it seems like a Lovecraft that could be more easily translated to the screen. According to Collider, there aren't more Lovecraft adaptations because his monsters are so difficult to describe and create in the physical realm. Like many authors, Lovecraft's stories rely on the imagination of the audience to fill in the blanks and insert whatever monster they find the most terrifying.

The Music of Erich Zann is a short story, so it might be difficult to make it into a feature-length movie, but it primarily recounts the relationship between a young student and the older man, Erich Zann, who lives in his building and entrances him with his music. Not only is this one of the more character-driven Lovecraft stories, but it also presents an amazing opportunity for a unique musical composition that would add to the terrifying atmosphere.

The Strange High House In The Mist

Published in 1931.

The Strange High House in the Mist is part of the Dream Cycle , which also includes the recently adapted Dreams in the Witch House . Though Guillermo del Toro is a skilled director and one of the few who could do Lovecraft justice, Cabinet of Curiosities exposes the problem with adapting Lovecraft . His version of Dreams in the Witch House was visually compelling, but it still lacked some essential elements required for a true adaptation. Alterations were made to make the story less offensive, but they were often aspects that contributed to the atmosphere of the plot and increased the thrills.

Despite this, del Toro would still be a great candidate to take a stab at The Strange High House in the Mist, which also deals in Lovecraft's "dreamlands". The story takes place in the strange place between dreaming and reality as a man investigates a mysterious house he finds himself drawn to. Old houses, architecture, and ancient structures play prominent roles in Lovecraft's work and make his interest in history apparent.

At The Mountains Of Madness

Published in 1936.

Set in the unforgiving terrain of Antarctica, At The Mountains of Madness follows a group of explorers who discover an otherworldly civilization under the ice. This story may not have a definitive direct adaptation, but its influence is seen throughout supernatural fiction. Like most Lovecraft stories, it expresses his fear of the unknown, a very human fear, and exploits the power that an unknown and unseen evil can have over a group of people. As there has been a resurgence in adventure films in recent years, doing a Lovecraftian exploration would be a great way to elevate the genre.

The Lovecraft Movie Del Toro Nearly Made Before Cabinet Of Curiosities

A shadow out of time.

One of Lovecraft's most drawn-from works, but never adapted in its original form, A Shadow Out of Time grapples with time and space travel in an extremely creative way. An alien race can travel through space and time by transferring their consciousness into the bodies of other beings, and the story’s protagonist begins to experience this. It's a perfect example of what happens when the mind and body are split between different times. Figuring out how to visually express this story wouldn’t be easy, but it would be well worth it.

Published in 1919

An early work, Dagon deals directly with the experience of soldiers coming home after fighting in World War I and what the trauma of that experience did to a generation of young men. The story tells of an encounter he had while fighting, and the horrific beast he finds while stranded in the ocean is a metaphor for the violence of the conflict. However, the most shocking part of the story comes in the final twist. Although the story is not as high profile as Lovecraft's later work, it's still a vital step toward the writer he would become.

The Thing On The Doorstep

Published in 1937.

The Thing on the Doorstep was published in a larger collection of works several years after it was written and is not historically a favorite among critics. However, its focus on the relationship between the protagonist and his friend, who becomes possessed, is one of the more meaningful moments of human connection in Lovecraft's stories, and the conclusion reads more as a tragedy than as a horror. There was an ill-conceived film in 2014, but ten years later, it’s obvious the movie was far more interested in the occult than Lovecraft was.

The Rats In The Walls

Published in 1924.

One of Lovecraft's earlier works, The Rats in the Walls, is an interesting exploration of how much the sins of past generations are ingrained into those in the present. When a man moves back into his ancestral home, he discovers terrible secrets about his family's history but can't help but succumb to them. For any actor undertaking the role, it would be hard work, as there is essentially one character in the entire story, but it's an excellent character study. Additionally, it’s one of Lovecraft’s works whose setting could be easily rendered using practical effects.

The Whisperer In Darkness

Once again featuring the iconic Miskatonic University of Lovecraft's stories, The Whisperer In Darkness was a step toward science fiction for the author. Additionally, there are references to other Lovecraft works and myths he created in his stories. There is a 2011 movie version, but its best aspect is the clear love that the creators had for the story and Lovecraft in general. However, The Whisperer In Darkness does what most adaptations do by using a classic 1930s horror style instead of bringing the story into the modern era and exploring how it would work today.

However, The Whisperer In Darkness does what most adaptations do by using a classic 1930s horror style instead of bringing the story into the modern era and exploring how it would work today.

The Dream-Quest Of Unknown Kadath

Published in 1943.

Released after Lovecraft's death, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is part of the larger Dream Cycle and utilizes Randolph Carter, a protagonist who appears in several other iterations of his work. Part of why the novella remained unpublished for many years is due to its length. It follows Carter's quest to find a mysterious city he sees in his dreams by traveling to the realm of the gods. The story is an odyssey that could be better suited to a miniseries than a film because of how each section of Carter's journey is its own chapter.

The Call Of Cthulhu

Published in 1928, the call of cthulhu.

Release Date June 6, 2005

Director Andrew Leman

Runtime 47 Minutes

Writers Sean Branney

Studio(s) H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society

The Cthulhu is one of Lovecraft's most iconic and horrifying monsters, and his first introduction to the character in The Call of Cthulhu is his most definitive example of the creature. Inspired by tales of the mythic monster, the Kraken, it draws from many legends about sea monsters and creatures of the deep. The story follows one man's journey to discover everything he can about the mysterious Cthulhu and is told through notes in his research. There have been a few attempts to recreate the story, with a 2005 short film being the most prominent.

However, The Call of Cthulhu is ready for a feature-length iteration and would become beloved if done right. What the 2005 version successfully achieved was capturing the atmosphere, leaning into heavy stylization to account for the ways that visual effects can fail. Many great movies are inspired by Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos , but none would compare to a retelling of the original story. Now that underwater filming technology has come so far, it opens up a world of possibilities for Lovecraft's sea-worthy adventures.