Edgar Allen Poe wrote psychological thrillers. His passions were dark, tormented and sometimes appeared to be neurotically concerned with violence and death, all the while holding on to the appreciation and the beautiful tragedies of life and the depths of the psyche, his own psyche and that of the people who surrounded him. The tragedy of life, a funny phrase. Perhaps he was consumed by the death of both of his parents. This happened when he was just a young boy of three years old. His stories resonate, and in modern times have been played on stage too many times to count, have been made into movies and series for television shows. His work continues to influence the writers of today. Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Both of his parents were actors, David Poe and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins. After his parents died he moved to Richmond, Virginia where he was raised by John and Frances Allen.
As a young man he moved to Baltimore and lived with his cousin. This is where he sold his first stories to the Baltimore Saturday Visitor, for fifty dollars a piece. In any Baltimore pub or restaurant you will still hear stories told of the man today. Just as his horror stories always contain an element of mystery, so to does the man and his life. Poe lived for most of his time in the city at 203 Amity Street. The small house is a museum now, open for visitors every weekend.
There is a public housing development next to his house, the first one in Baltimore, named for Edgar Allen Poe, and one of the stories you may hear is that there is a spirit, “Mr. Eddie”, who takes care of his house and those in the housing development. There are also many people who claim to have seen a woman’s ghost wandering through the house from time to time. Poe is buried, along with many other notable Baltimore figures, in the Westminster Church Cemetery. This is also a famous visitors location. During the year you may visit the cemetery from sunrise to sunset. Small gatherings take place throughout the year, one such night happens of course on Halloween, when Poe’s fans and admirers hold candle light ceremonies in honor of the man and his work. And in keeping with the mystery, each year since his death in 1849, a bottle of Cognac appears on his grave, with a single red rose. Edgar Allen Poe, a piece of the rich cultural history of the city of Baltimore.
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