Samuel B. Mumford House - Providence, Rhode Island - Literary Sites on Waymarking.com

The Samuel B. Mumford House, currently at 65 Prospect Street in Providence, Rhode Island, was the residence of H.P. Lovecraft's protagonist in his fictional horror short story "The Haunter of the Dark" (originally published in the December 1936 edition of Weird Tales). Lovecraft also wrote his autobiography, Some Notes on a Nonentity, while living here. It was the author's actual and final home.

Built in 1825, the Samuel B. Mumford House is a private residence which was moved from 66 College Street in 1959 when Brown University expanded its campus. A two-story Georgian style home clad in brown siding, its front door with a pair of sidelights and a carved fan above faces west. A low, black metal fence runs along the north and west property borders. A hand-lettered Providence Historical Society plaque is mounted beside the entry and reads:

SAMUEL MUMFORD
HOUSE
1823 - 28
Moved from College St. 1959

Lovecraft wrote "The Haunter of the Dark" in November 1935 while living in this house, and used the home's description for the home of his character, Robert Blake. The room described at the end of the following passage was Lovecraft's own.

Young Blake returned to Providence in the winter of 1934-5, taking 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. It was a cozy and fascinating place, in a little garden oasis of village-like antiquity where huge, friendly cats sunned themselves atop a convenient shed. The square Georgian house had a monitor roof, classic doorway with fan carving, small-planed windows, and all the other earmarks of early Nineteenth Century workmanship. Inside were six-paneled doors, wide floor-boards, a curving colonial staircase, with Adam-period mantels, and a rear set of rooms three steps below the general level. Blake’s study, a large southwest chamber, overlooked the front garden on one side, while its west windows—before one of which he had his desk—faced off from the brow of the hill and commanded a splendid view of the lower town’s outspread roofs and of the mystical sunsets that flamed behind them...

You can read the entire story here.

This was the last house Lovecraft lived in. Diagnosed with cancer of the small intestine in early 1937, he passed away at the age of 46 on March 15 of the same year.

Sources:
The H.P. Lovecraft Archive: Guide to Lovecraftian Sites in Rhode Island
Wikipedia: The Haunter of the Dark
History Homes: Samuel B. Mumford House - Providence

Short Description: The Samuel B. Mumford House is a private residence which was once home to author H.P. Lovecraft and was the residence of his protagonist in "The Haunter of the Dark" short horror story. Book Title: The Haunter of the Dark First Year Published: 1936 Author's Name: H.P. Lovecraft Name of Waymarked Item: Samuel B. Mumford House Location of Item: 65 Prospect Street, Providence, Rhode Island More Information: Please note that this is a private residence in a quiet neighborhood and not open to the public. Respect of the occupants' privacy is paramount. Link to more information about the book or waymarked item.: [Web Link] Admission Price?: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
Post a photo of yourself at/with the waymark and describe your experience. List any changes to the waymark since the original posting.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.