The Shunned House by kannafoot

The Shunned House

"From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent," wrote H.P. Lovecraft in his fictional work, “The Shunned House.” In it, he describes fellow author Edgar Allen Poe’s walks past this property on Benedict Street in Providence. Lovecraft is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu mythos and frequently mentions locations in Providence throughout his horror stories. Many of the locations he referenced, such as the Shunned House seen in today’s photo, still exist and are part of the local Lovecraftian legend.

The actual history of this house on the East Side of Providence likely influenced Lovecraft’s tale, written in 1924. It was originally built in 1764 by Stephen Harris on what was one of the oldest streets in the Colony, although it was called Back Street before the American Revolution. The concept of common burial of the dead did not exist in that time period, so each family typically had a burial plot on their property to inter their dead. The North Burial Ground was opened in the late 1700s and when Back Street was widened (and renamed to Benefit Street) many of the bodies were moved from their family plots to the newly opened cemetery. Of course, many old timers resisted this new practice, and some burials remain on the original properties. It’s said that a Huguenot couple buried on the Harris property at the time were among those overlooked for relocation. The Harris family fell on hard financial times, and Mrs. Harris lost several children at birth. There has never been a recorded live birth in this house.

Perhaps the most bizarre legend associated with the house has to do with Mrs. Harris’ eventual state of mental health. Like virtually all of the main characters in a Lovecraft tale, Mrs. Harris eventually descended into madness. She was ultimately confined to an upstairs room in the house. Residents claimed that she would occasionally shriek out of the window of her room, although they claimed her ranting was in French. Mrs. Harris did not speak French, but it was certainly the language of the Huguenot couple said to still be buried on the property.

Thanks to the reputation of the house, the Harris family was unable to sell it for years and it eventually fell into an extreme state of disrepair. It was in deplorable condition when Lovecraft himself would walk these streets in the early 1920s, and very likely contributed to the tale of “The Shunned House.”

Post processing was the typical black and white conversion. I opted not to do anything fancy, but rather let the house and vines speak for themselves. The conversion was using a gradient map in color blend mode. I adjusted the levels slightly, and also did a contrast and brightness adjustment. The final layer was a sepia photo filter.
nice shot
June 5th, 2012  
A most interesting history... I like the perspective you chose for your photo. Love the old stone foundation, the pediment and pilasters at the front door, the vines and the picket fence. As always, great processing.
June 5th, 2012  
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