History & local legend
The Eutaw House in Potters Mills was a stagecoach inn before becoming a restaurant, and local tradition counts Edgar Allan Poe among its guests. Initials carved into an old table—EAP—helped sustain the story of his stay. Some versions even connect the surrounding countryside with the inspiration for “The Raven.”
When The Daily Collegian interviewed manager Laura Carver in October 2006, she said people had reported seeing a figure resembling Poe. A more frequently described apparition was a crying woman accompanied by a little girl on the main staircase.
Carver's own experience happened in the basement. Alone there, she felt someone standing immediately behind her. She turned and found nobody. Afterward, she preferred having someone accompany her downstairs.
Sources
- Kristin Colella, The Daily Collegian, October 31, 2006, original interview with Eutaw House manager Laura Carver
- Discovery PA, carved table and local Raven story, source linked by the State Historic Preservation Office
- State Historic Preservation Office, Potters Mills research project and the local Poe tradition
- Potter Township, anniversary history, stagecoach stop and 1824 brick inn
- Centre Daily Times, history, 2000s closure of restaurant and Carver recollection
- Centre County GIS building footprint for 124 Old Fort Road
