Scary Spider - What is it?

Yesterday, we found this frightening spider hanging on the side of our house.  Yes, I know, for some people spiders are cute and friendly, but for me.... SCARY.
So, therefore, I'm attempting to put the scary pictures after the  (Hopefully, this works.)
Here's the pictures of the spider.










Although you may not be able to tell from the photos, it was almost an inch long not including legs.

Does anyone know what kind of spider this is? I'm presuming it's not poisonous because it's BIG. It reminds me of the Lord of the Rings and the scene where they are captured by humongous spiders- this spider is big enough to have fairly large prey. ICKY.