He would have been 203 today
Sadly though the tradition of the "Poe Toaster", is now officially over. For those unfamiliar with the story an anonymous man wearing black clothes with a white scarf and a wide-brimmed hat, had from the early 1940s until 2009 left three roses and a half-empty bottle of cognac at Poe's grave. He hasn’t been seen since.
Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is considered the first modern detective story. His other tales like the Black Cat, The Tell Tale Heart, The Pit and The Pendulum and of course The Raven resonate with fans to this day, myself included.
Poe, was born in Boston in 1809, lived in Baltimore, London, New York, Philadelphia and Richmond, Virginia. During a visit to Baltimore in 1849, he died under mysterious circumstances at age 40. The cause of his death has been the subject of much speculation over the years, with theories ranging wildly from murder to rabies.
Poe was buried in his grandfather's lot in Westminster Burial Ground, in what is now downtown Baltimore. In 1875, his body and that of his aunt and mother-in-law Maria Clemm were moved to a prominent spot by the entrance with a memorial marker. The body of his young wife and cousin, Virginia, was exhumed and reburied with him 10 years later.
Whatever the truth of the Toaster’s demise and also of Poe’s demise it’s mystery that may never be solved.
