Funeral & Vigil for Edgar Allan Poe
Posted September 18, 2009 , trackbackHon, you may know Baltimore as Charm City USA. But did you know ‘Bawlmore’ is also home to Edgar Allan Poe? OK OK, so Poe was actually born in New York City. Whaddabout it?
Baltimore’s claim to fame is that Poe died here. He was found unconscious in the streets of Baltimore and admitted to the Washington College Hospital. He died on October 7, 1849, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Baltimore’s Old Westminster Graveyard.
Unmarked grave?! Now that’s something to celebrate, Baltimore! Very classy, burying one of America’s most famous authors of the macabre in an unmarked grave after he dies (of alcoholism? murder? disease?).
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary…
Edgar Allan Poe: Vigil, funeral service & more fun!
So how does modern Baltimore celebrate the author of The Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in the Rue Morgue and the poem “The Raven”? With a midnight vigil and an open-casket funeral service, of course. But wait, there’s more! Addams Family actor and Baltimorean John Astin will help celebrate the demise of Poe, along with hundreds of expected mourners.
The body of Edgar Allan Poe will rest in an open casket during a public viewing on Wednesday, October 7th. The viewing will take place at his last residence on Amity Street in Baltimore, now the Poe House and Museum. In light of the event’s grandeur nature, the Poe House will remain open for 11 hours, from noon to 11pm, giving Poe fans due time to pay their respects. Admission is $5 at the door.
Following the open-casket homage, there’s a midnight candlelight vigil on Thursday, October 8, at the Poe Monument in the Westminster Graveyard. From midnight to 7am, you can present a personal tribute to the late Poe in verse, song or spoken word.
Finally, the funeral service! The City of Baltimore is giving Poe the send-off he never had on Sunday, October 11. An antique horse-drawn hearse, lead by a drum and fife marching band, will carry Poe’s body from his Amity Street home to his final resting place at the Westminster Hall for burial services. The service will include a number of notable speakers reflecting on the life of Poe, as well as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Baudelair, Rupert Holmes and more. Admission to the service is $35 in advance and $40 at the door (children under 10 not permitted).
Exploring Poe’s Baltimore
The Edgar Allan Poe Tell-Tale Tour of Baltimore (thru October 17) gives Poe lovers the chance to explore Poe’s Baltimore (brought to you by the Greater Baltimore History Alliance). Collect a Raven Trail Guide stamp from at least five of the attractions along the tour.
Also check out the free exhibit “Edgar Allan Poe: A Baltimore Icon” at the Baltimore Museum of Art, “Edgar Allan Poe: More Than a Poet” at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, and ghost tours in historic neighborhoods.
-Viator Travel Team
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