Poe Back From His Grave For An Evening With Fans
Friday January 25, 2008 8:46 AM
As the New England Patriots made history last Sunday evening, I walked into a former Presbyterian Church in Baltimore to celebrate the birthday of one of the world's most beloved writers of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe. Westminster Hall, shrouded in eerie purple lamplight, was the location for an evening of Poe in two acts: "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "Remembering Poe."
Westminster Hall stands above Baltimore's only catacombs. Its cemetery, called the Old Western Burial Ground, is the oldest in the city and houses the bones of Poe, his cousin Virginia and his aunt Maria. During his life in Baltimore, Poe experienced his first little taste of success ($50 worth) while living with his aunt and cousin at 203 Amity St. from 1832 to 1835. However, his time spent in Baltimore was marked mainly by poverty and debt. One of his first horror stories, entitled "Berenice," was written in Baltimore. Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum, orchestrates various Poe events year-round.
Poe was found prostrate and unconscious outside of Ryan's Saloon on Lombard Street and died in Church Hospital, now Washington College Hospital. David Keltz, known worldwide for his impersonations of Poe, depicted the fallen writer before and after both acts on the premise that he had returned from the grave to visit with his fans. Keltz seemed a Poe incarnate, the epitome of what Poe might have been — from the wispy ends of his disheveled hair to the obsessive but unmistakably passionate tone in his voice. According to a Randallstown, Maryland woman, a self-proclaimed sensitive, she knows the truth behind Poe's mysterious death — because he told it to her.
While exploring the adjacent Poe museum, I learned quite a bit about the building's haunted history. Visitors have reported cold spots, being tapped on the shoulder, voices without sources, and the full-bodied apparition of a large woman dressed in 1800s garb. While Poe has never been seen in the building, there are quite a few reports of a strikingly Poe-like apparition in the cemetery, the catacombs and in a nearby house. From the nearby house, the figure appears to watch the area where the cemetery is located. During the riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., people within viewing distance of the Poe House witnessed a "light show" through the windows. Lights swerved from floor to floor, prompting several people to phone the police. When the police arrived, they surrounded the house and upon entering, found that the building was empty.
Vincent Price said in 1977 upon visiting Westminster Hall, "This place give me the creeps." Walking Westminster's cemetery and catacombs is truly an experience with its hand-carved gravestones, burial vaults, enormous monuments including an impressive monument to Poe — all against the backdrop of a superb stone gothic revival church. The Poe monument that stands today is not the original — the original was destroyed in a freak train accident. Old Western also holds the remains of Francis Scott Key's son, the grandfather of President James Buchanan, five former mayors of Baltimore and 15 generals from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. While trying to photograph the cemetery, two sets of new batteries in our camera died within a 15-minute period.
The mysterious "Poe Toaster" visits the Poe monument, built by Architect George A. Frederick, every year on Poe's birthday during the night and leaves three roses and a half-full bottle of cognac. This year, the "Poe Toaster" managed to elude over 150 spectators who stayed up all night braving sub-zero temperatures to hopefully catch a glimpse of the man in the black cape. Me included. Despite the fact that no sightings were reported, the three roses and bottle of cognac were found on the stone as the sun lit every darkened corner of Westminster Cemetery. Many were hoping for an explanatory note regarding the recent controversy surrounding the identity of the Poe toaster (he's left messages on the stone in the past). However, no notes were left behind and our questions remain.
Next year will mark the 200th anniversary of Poe's birthday. Jerome announced several upcoming events: an adaptation of "Cask of Amantillado" will be performed in the catacombs and a reenactment of Poe's funeral will take place in 2009. Dates have yet to be announced.
