H. P. Lovecraft's Providence - A Walking Tour

About the Tour

Howard Phillips Lovecraft, pioneer of the weird tale, is one of the 20th century’s most important and influential authors, whose popularity continues to increase today. He was born and lived nearly all his life in Providence, Rhode Island—a city that was central to his work as an author. His fiction and copious letters (estimated at nearly 90,000) are filled with references and descriptions of Providence, which also serve as settings for many of his tales. This 1.5- mile walking tour winds up and down the historic colonial streets and steep hills along College Hill on Providence’s historic East Side, and features many of the Lovecraft highlights, including places where he lived and frequented. We'll see how Lovecraft used Providence as material for his stories, and hear examples from some of his seminal works including “The Shunned House,” “The Haunter of the Dark,” and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

The tour begins at the famous Van Wickle Gates at Brown University at the top of College Street, winds north up through College Hill on Providence's historic east side, and then loops back south, concluding at the Providence Athenaeum. Parking is available on Benefit Street and on most of the surrounding side streets. We will be mostly venturing downhill, though there will be some areas of incline along the way. Some of the roads are steep, and the sidewalks tend to be uneven in places. Be sure to wear appropriate footwear.

Statement on Lovecraft and Race

This tour focuses on the sites and scenes in Providence related to H. P. Lovecraft's life and literary work. Lovecraft is known for having controversial beliefs on race and immigration. Since the brief span of a walking tour is not enough time to do justice to this important part of Lovecraft's legacy, we will be recognizing but not discussing the subject in great detail. However, a reading list will be available, and post-tour conversation is welcome.

About Your Guide

This tour is owned and operated by Joshua Rex, a historian of Victorian America, author of speculative fiction, and a resident of Providence, Rhode Island. He serves as historian for a presidential library and museum, and is a walking tour educator with the Rhode Island Historical Society. He is the author of eight books and also gives dramatic performances of the work of Edgar Allan Poe.