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This Week in History: Raven-ous
A weekly series in which an interesting historical event spurs a journey through the museum world.
Happy 200th Birthday Edgar Allan Poe! Born January 19, 1809, Mr. Poe is known mainly for his poems and short stories (for a list of his works click here), which range from Romanticism and Gothic to satire and detective fiction. His works tend to be a little “dark,” dealing with death, mystery, and the macabre. His transient and somewhat tragic life was a short one, and his path is marked with landmarks and plaques up and down the East Coast.
Some interesting facts about Edgar Allan Poe:
- Born as Edgar Poe to parents – both actors – in Boston, Massachussetts. He may have been named after a character in King Lear, a production of which his parents appeared in 1809.
- After his father’s abandonment and mother’s death, a young Edgar moved to Richmond, Virginia. Here he was a foster son to the Allans (John and Frances), who never formally adopted him despite giving him their name.
- Poe had himself intentionally court-martialled in order to get thrown out of West Point.
- He married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm, in 1835.
- One of his most famous poems, The Raven, was published in the Evening Mirror in 1845. He was paid $9 for it.
- In 1849, at the ripe old age of 40, Poe was found in a delirious state in the streets of Baltimore. He died in a hospital soon after from unknown causes. The mysterious nature of his death has led to several theories: alcohol, brain congestion, cholera, drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide, tuberculosis, etc.
- A mysterious figure, known as the Poe Toaster, visits Poe’s headstone in Baltimore every year on his birthday. While the identity of the Toaster is not known, they always do a toast of cognac and leave three roses.
So, where can you satisfy your Poe curiosity? Start by paying a visit to New York City, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Charleston, Charlottesville, or Richmond. You’re bound to find yourself standing in Poe’s footsteps sooner than you think.
Boston: a plaque stands near the spot where Poe’s birth home stood on Charles Street.
Baltimore: the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum is the earliest surviving home in which Poe lived. It is also home to the Edgar Allan Poe Society. The Horse You Came in On is a bar that claims to be the last place the poet was seen before – and apparently after – his death. Poe’s ghost is said to haunt the upstairs rooms.
Philadelphia: the Spring Garden House is the only remaining home from Poe’s time in the city of Brotherly Love. It is known as the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site.
New York City: His little cottage in the Bronx stands to commemorate his time in New York.
Charleston: Poe was stationed at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island.
Richmond: Although Poe never actually lived there, the Edgar Allan Poe Museum is housed in the city’s oldest home.
Charlottesville: Poe’s dorm room at the University of Virginia is maintained by a group known as the Raven Society, which consists of university staff and students.
Need more Poe info? Check out here and here and here for details on events throughout Virginia and Baltimore celebrating Poe’s bicentennial.
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