Some people might find it odd that a person would want to visit a graveyard, especially when they have no family interred there. I was never one to be spooked by cemeteries. I’ve always found them to be peaceful, but with that in mind, I don’t visit during the witching hour. (Well, I did one time visit the Union Cemetery in Easton, Connecticut at the stroke of midnight, but that is an entirely a different story).
One such graveyard trip occurred back in the early 1990s. I was talked into attending a conference in Baltimore (I was living in Connecticut at the time) and agreed to take part on one condition; we stop at the cemetery at the Westminster Presbyterian Church. Being a writer and having a love of horror fiction, I always wanted to visit Edgar Allan Poe’s grave.
When the two-day conference ended, we located the church and graveyard, not the easiest feat pre-GPS. Finding Poe’s grave, however, was simple enough as it faced the street and was prominently near the entrance and was a large monument.
Designed by architect George A. Frederick, the statue contained a striking bas-relief bust of Poe. Also engraved on the monument are his wife’s and mother-in-law’s names and dates of birth and death.
With a lot of fanfare, the unveiling and dedication of the monument took place on November 17, 1875. In attendance were such notables as John H. B. Latrobe (who awarded Poe the Baltimore Saturday Visitor prize in 1833), Judge Neilson Poe (Edgar’s cousin), and poet Walt Whitman, who had the pleasure of meeting Poe once. Letters from H. W. Longfellow, John G. Whittier, William C. Bryant, and Alfred Tennyson were read. The ashes of Virginia Clemm Poe (Edgar’s wife) were removed from their resting place in New York and reburied beside the monument.
We were the only visitors that blustery afternoon, and after taking some pictures, we headed around to the backside where, buried alongside his parents, was Poe’s original gravesite.
Knowing we had a six-hour drive back, our stay was brief. However, on the way out, I insisted we drive down North Amity Street to view Poe’s house. However, the area didn’t feel safe. As one reviewer wrote on Google, “Neighborhood is decayed.” Even though his house has been a museum since 1949, we only got a glimpse of the outside as we drove by. If I’m ever back in the area, I would undoubtedly make a daytime visit.
One last note about Poe’s grave. Since as early as 1949, there has been a Poe Toaster. During the early morning hours of January 19 (Poe’s birthday), while the sun is still sleeping, there has been a person raising a toast to Poe every year. According to Wikipedia.com: “The shadowy figure, dressed in black with a wide-brimmed hat and white scarf, would pour himself a glass of cognac and raise a toast to Poe’s memory, then vanish into the night, leaving three roses in a distinctive arrangement and the unfinished bottle of cognac. Onlookers gathered annually in hopes of glimpsing the elusive Toaster, who did not seek publicity and was rarely seen or photographed.”
Although starting in 2010, there was no Toaster until 2016, when the Maryland Historical Society revived the tradition and selected a new Toaster.
As I said earlier, I’m not a fan of cemetery visitations during the witching hour, even if it is in the memory or honor of Edgar Allan Poe. I’ll pay homage to him by continuing to read his work and sharing it with younger generations.
Years later, I visited another one of my favorite authors’ gravesite. While summering in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, I attended a family reunion in Connecticut. Afterward, I made the trek to Providence, Rhode Island, to the Swan Point Cemetery, where H. P. Lovecraft is buried.
Next on my list is a trip to the Woodlawn Cemetery, in Elmira, New York, to visit the gravesite of Mark Twain.
If you could visit a renowned writer’s gravesite, who would it be?
T.M. Jacobs, a native to the shoreline area of Connecticut, now resides in various locations along the east coast with his wife traveling and working from their RV motorhome. He has written and published 15 books (one of which was featured on C-SPAN), over 450 articles published in various newspapers and magazines, teaches classes on writing and publishing, and is currently the owner of JWC Publishing. He is the founder and former editor for Patriots of the American Revolution magazine and has been a freelance writer since 1988.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timjacobsghostwriter/
Website: www.jacobswc.com
Email: [email protected]
