A mysterious figure paid an annual tribute on Jan 19th during the period of 1949 to 2009 to which American author by visiting the author's original grave marker in Baltimore?
"Poe Toaster Poe Toaster is a media epithet popularly used to refer to an unidentified person (or more probably two persons in succession, possibly father and son) who, for over seven decades, paid an annual tribute to American author Edgar Allan Poe by visiting the cenotaph marking his original grave in Baltimore, Maryland, in the early hours of January 19, Poe's birthday. The shadowy figure, dressed in black with a wide-brimmed hat and white scarf, would pour himself a glass of cognac and raise a toast to Poe's memory, then vanish into the night, leaving three roses in a distinctive"
"the third largest city in America - Baltimore. Today, this ""who's who"" of early Baltimore is overshadowed by the later presence of the promising writer, poet and author Edgar Allan Poe, who was buried here in October 1849, following his sudden and mysterious death after being found on the street near East Lombard Street in a sick and semi-conscious state wearing unfamiliar clothes. Poe was taken to the Church Home and Infirmary on Broadway (between East Fayette and Baltimore Streets on ""Washington Hill""), where he died four days later. He was interred in the old Western Burying Grounds of the"
"die block bears a medallion portrait of the author-poet by the sculptor Volck, while on the western side appear the lines of inscription: ""Edgar Allan Poe: born Jan. 20, 1809; died Oct. 7, 1849."" Annual observances on his birth and death dates at his grave side are still conducted to this day, attended by the WHT officials, Presbyterian Church clergy and members of several literary, educational and historical societies (such as the Poe Society of Baltimore), representatives of the several Baltimore City public high schools whose predecessors sponsored the Monuments over 140 years ago (Baltimore City College with their two"
"him. In 2010 there was no visit by the Toaster, nor has he appeared any year since, signaling an end to the 75-year tradition. In 2016, the Maryland Historical Society selected a new ""Toaster"" to revive the tradition in a less mysterious—but still anonymous—form. Poe died at the age of 40 in Baltimore on October 7, 1849, under mysterious circumstances. The Poe Toaster tradition may have begun as early as the 1930s, according to witnesses, and continued annually until 2009. Each year, in the early hours of the morning of January 19 (Poe's birthday), a black-clad, presumably male figure carrying"
"Westminster Hall and Burying Ground Westminster Hall and Burying Ground is a graveyard and former church located at 519 West Fayette Street (at North Greene Street) in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Occupying the southeast corner of West Fayette and North Greene Street on the west side of downtown Baltimore, the site is probably most famous as the burial site of Edgar Allan Poe, (1809–1849). The complex was declared a national historic district in 1974. The graveyard was established in January 1787 by the First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, from land on the westside of old Baltimore Town purchased by a"
"re-written a number of Poe's letters that were included in his ""Memoir of the Author"". By then, Griswold's depiction of Poe was entrenched in the mind of the public, both in America and around the world, and this distorted image of the author has become part of the Poe legend despite attempts to dispel it. Death of Edgar Allan Poe The death of Edgar Allan Poe on October 7, 1849, has remained mysterious, the circumstances leading up to it are uncertain and the cause of death is disputed. On October 3, the American author was found delirious in Baltimore, Maryland,"
"roses were left at Poe's original grave marker by an unknown visitor affectionately referred to as the ""Poe Toaster"". On August 15, 2007, Sam Porpora, a former historian at the Westminster Church in Baltimore where Poe is buried, claimed that he had started the tradition in 1949. Porpora said that the tradition began in order to raise money and enhance the profile of the church. His story has not been confirmed, and some details which he gave to the press are factually inaccurate. The Poe Toaster's last appearance was on January 19, 2009, the day of Poe's bicentennial. Tales Poetry"
"the Upper West Side where Poe temporarily lived when he first moved to New York. A plaque suggests that Poe wrote ""The Raven"" here. The bar still stands where legend says that Poe was last seen drinking before his death, in Fell's Point in Baltimore. The drinking establishment is now known as ""The Horse You Came In On"", and local lore insists that a ghost whom they call ""Edgar"" haunts the rooms above. Early daguerreotypes of Poe continue to arouse great interest among literary historians. Notable among them are: For decades, every January 19, a bottle of cognac and three"
"Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, located at 203 North Amity St. in Baltimore, Maryland, is the former home of American writer Edgar Allan Poe in the 1830s. The small unassuming structure, which was opened as a writer's house museum since 1949, is a typical row home. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972. Due to a loss of funding by the city of Baltimore, the Museum closed to the public in October 2012. Poe Baltimore, the Museum's new governing body, reopened the Museum to the public on October 5, 2013."
"House. Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, located at 203 North Amity St. in Baltimore, Maryland, is the former home of American writer Edgar Allan Poe in the 1830s. The small unassuming structure, which was opened as a writer's house museum since 1949, is a typical row home. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1972. Due to a loss of funding by the city of Baltimore, the Museum closed to the public in October 2012. Poe Baltimore, the Museum's new governing body, reopened the Museum to the public on October 5,"
"home as The Baltimore Poe House in 1949. Former displays in the Museum included a lock of Poe's hair, a small piece of Poe's coffin, some original china that once belonged to John Allan (Poe's guardian after Eliza Poe's death), and a large reproduction of the portrait of Virginia Clemm painted after her death as well as many other Poe-related images. An original 1849 obituary by Rufus Griswold in the October 24, 1849 edition of the ""Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper"" is also on display along with a reprint of Poe's original announcement for the creation of a new literary magazine to"
"Jack L. Chalker Jack Laurence Chalker (December 17, 1944 – February 11, 2005) was an American science fiction author. Chalker was also a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for 12 years, retiring during 1978 to write full-time. He also was a member of the Washington Science Fiction Association and was involved in the founding of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Some of his books said that he was born in Norfolk, Virginia although he later claimed that was a mistake; he attended high school at the Baltimore City College. Chalker"
"trumpet sounds, From the hid battlements of eternity."""" The home in Ashton-under-Lyne where Thompson lived from 1864 to 1885 was also marked with a blue plaque. In 2014, however, the building collapsed. In 1999 an Australian teacher added Thompson's name to the list of people (that as of 2016 extends to more than 100 individuals) suggested as possible suspects in the infamous Jack the Ripper murders, citing interpretations of his poetry and his medical background, but no physical evidence. Francis Thompson Francis Thompson (16 December 1859 – 13 November 1907) was an English poet and mystic. At the behest of"
"Jewish community due to a religious requirement for specially consecrated ground. One large notable grave marker belongs to Mrs Elizabeth (Bessie) Budd Graham (died 1889) also called ""The Witch's Grave"". The gray French granite obelisk is estimated to weigh more than fifteen tons in an elaborate Victorian design. The grave marker has a number of unusual characteristics including facing West and cryptic epitaph made up of lines from Edgar Allan Poe's poem Lenore. Despite rumors of witchcraft there is """"nothing whatsoever has come to light to warrant insinuations about her having been a witch—no document or even folklore from her"
"torch to Walter B. Gibson writer of the famous mystery series ""The Shadow"" and friend, confidant, publicist and ghostwriter for Houdini, and asked him to carry on the yearly tribute, who held them for many years at New York's Magic Towne House with such magical notables as Houdini biographers Walter B. Gibson and Milbourne Christopher. Before he died, Walter passed on the tradition to Dorothy Dietrich. Bess Houdini died from a heart attack on February 11, 1943 while in Needles, California, aboard an eastbound train traveling from Los Angeles to New York City. She was 67 years old. Her family"
"Baltimore Saturday Visiter The Baltimore Saturday Visiter was a weekly periodical in Baltimore, Maryland, in the 19th century. It published some of the early work of Baltimore writer Edgar Allan Poe. It was established in 1832 by Charles Cloud and Lambert Wilmer, a friend of Poe. Popular at first, the ""Visiter"" later became abolitionist and in 1847 was absorbed by the abolitionist ""National Era"" of Washington D.C. Poe submitted to the ""Visiter"" six tales as entries to a contest sponsored by the publication. The newspaper promised a $50 prize for the best tale and a $25 prize for the best"
"and threatening."" Poe was buried in a cheap coffin that lacked handles, a nameplate, cloth lining, or a cushion for his head. On October 10, 2009, Poe received a second funeral in Baltimore. Actors portrayed Poe's contemporaries and other long-dead writers and artists. Each paid their respects and read eulogies adapted from their writings about Poe. The funeral included a replica of Poe's casket and wax cadaver. Poe is buried on the grounds of Westminster Hall and Burying Ground, now part of the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore. Even after his death, he created controversy and mystery."
"imagination. Additionally, Twain accused Harte of ""borrowing"" money from his friends with no intention of repaying it and of financially abandoning his wife and children. He referred repeatedly to Harte as ""The Immortal Bilk"". Ironically, the Mark Twain Bret Harte Historic Trail (Marker Number 431 erected in 1948 by the California Centennial Commission) in Tuolumne County, California and the town of Twain Harte in the same county, are named after both writers. Bret Harte Francis Brett Hart, known as Bret Harte (August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902), was an American short story writer and poet, best remembered for his"
"Everett Ruess Everett Ruess (March 28, 1914 – November 1934) was a young American artist, poet, and writer known for his solo explorations of the High Sierra, the California coast, and the deserts of the American Southwest and his ultimate disappearance while traveling through a remote area of Utah. His fate remains a mystery to this day. In 2009, DNA from human remains found in Utah were initially linked to Ruess, but the findings were soon challenged and shown conclusively to actually be the remains of an American Indian. In March 2010, the Joe Santistevan family was contacted by Dr."
"has been used in an episode of ""Creepy Canada"", with paranormal investigators from BSPR discussing its possible haunting. A number of famous Marylanders are interred here, including many Revolutionary patriots and veterans of the War of 1812. Other Marylanders include: Westminster Hall and Burying Ground is home to the grave of American author Edgar Allan Poe, arguably its most famous resident. Poe actually has two graves on this site: his original grave and a monument added in 1875. His original burial spot, towards the back of Westminster Hall, is marked by a headstone with an engraved raven. It was a"
"as tens of thousands of mourners filed silently past. The ceremony appears to have served as a form of catharsis for collective mourning on a scale not previously known. The grave was then capped with a black Belgian marble stone (the only tombstone in the Abbey on which it is forbidden to walk) featuring this inscription, composed by Herbert Edward Ryle, Dean of Westminster, engraved with brass from melted down wartime ammunition. Around the main inscription are four New Testament quotations: A year later, on 17 October 1921, the unknown warrior was given the United States' highest award for valour,"
"Barbara Guest Barbara Guest née Barbara Ann Pinson (September 6, 1920 – February 15, 2006) was an American poet and prose stylist. Guest first gained recognition as a member of the first generation New York School of poetry. Guest wrote more than 15 books of poetry spanning sixty years of writing. In 1999, she was awarded the Frost Medal for Lifetime Achievement by the Poetry Society of America. Guest also wrote art criticism, essays, and plays. Her collages appeared on the covers of several of her books of poetry. She was also well known for her biography of the poet"
"of Historic Places in 1980. Guided tours are available at various times of the year. A Baltimore City Landmark plaque at the entrance reads: In addition to John Wilkes Booth, two other conspirators in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln are buried here, Samuel Arnold and Michael O'Laughlen. It is common for visitors to the cemetery to leave pennies on the graves of the three men; the one-cent coin features the likeness of the president they successfully sought to murder. Until a 1965 agreement with Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor had planned for a burial in a"
"provide inspiration for members, the Club maintained a library of books written by themselves as well as their fellow Maryland authors. Each January beginning in 1902, the Club held an annual Twelfth Night Celebration, an elaborate dinner with a musical program and a Christmas cake baked with souvenirs that was paraded through the gathering. On All Souls’ Day, November 2, the Club members decorated the graves of authors and artists buried in Maryland. Among those honored were Edgar Allan Poe, Junius Brutus Booth, John Pendleton Kennedy, Sidney Lanier, Col. Richard Malcolm Johnston, William H. Rinehart, and former Club member Mary"
"C. M. Eddy Jr. Clifford Martin Eddy Jr. (C. M. Eddy Jr.; January 18, 1896 – November 21, 1967) was an American author known for his horror, mystery and supernatural short stories. He is best remembered for his work in ""Weird Tales"" magazine and his friendship with H.P. Lovecraft. Eddy was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in January 18, 1896. He went to Classical High School in Providence, and as a child was a precocious reader and writer. He continued to be an avid reader and writer, interested in mythology and the occult. According to his wife Muriel, ""Cliff was"
"supernatural in their everyday lives."" He concludes that ""The timeless themes of his weird tales made him an important bridge between the pulp and the modern horror era. He was also a pioneer in horror's specialty press phenomenon"". Joseph Payne Brennan Joseph Payne Brennan (December 20, 1918 – January 28, 1990) was an American writer of fantasy and horror fiction, and also a poet. Of Irish ancestry, he was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and he lived most of his life in New Haven, Connecticut, and worked as an Acquisitions Assistant at the Sterling Memorial Library of Yale University for over"
"Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926February 19, 2016) was an American novelist widely known for ""To Kill a Mockingbird"", published in 1960. Immediately successful, it won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature. Though Lee had only published this single book, in 2007 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contribution to literature. Additionally, Lee received numerous honorary degrees, though she declined to speak on those occasions. She was also known for assisting her close friend Truman Capote in his research for the book ""In Cold Blood"" (1966). Capote"
"Henry Morton Robinson Henry Morton Robinson (September 7, 1898 – January 13, 1961) was an American novelist, best known for ""A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake"" written with Joseph Campbell and his 1950 novel ""The Cardinal"", which ""Time"" magazine reported was ""The year's most popular book, fiction or nonfiction."" See movie The Cardinal Robinson was born in Boston and graduated from Columbia College in 1923 after serving in the US Navy during the First World War. He was an instructor in English at Columbia University, and a senior editor at ""Reader's Digest"". On December 23, 1960, he fell asleep in"
"interest in Poe's grave site and personally solicited for funds. She even had some of her elocution students give public performances to raise money. Many in Baltimore and throughout the U.S. contributed; the final $650 came from Philadelphia publisher and philanthropist George William Childs. The new monument was designed by architect George A. Frederick and built by Colonel Hugh Sisson, and included a medallion of Poe by artist Adalbert Volck. All three men were from Baltimore. The total cost of the monument, with the medallion, amounted to slightly more than $1,500. ($31,600 in 2014 dollars) Poe was reburied on October"
"two children. For over a decade, starting in 1957, Lariar had an affair with Barbara Griffith, the mother of cartoonist Bill Griffith. This later formed the basis of Bill Griffith's 2015 graphic novel ""Invisible Ink: My Mother’s Secret Love Affair With a Famous Cartoonist"". Lawrence Lariar Lawrence Lariar (December 25, 1908 – October 12, 1981) was an American novelist, cartoonist and cartoon editor, known for his ""Best Cartoons of the Year"" series of cartoon collections. He wrote crime novels, sometimes using the pseudonyms Michael Stark, Adam Knight and Marston la France. Born in Brooklyn, Lariar studied illustration at the New"
"Ralph Ellison Ralph Waldo Ellison (March 1, 1913 – April 16, 1994) was an American novelist, literary critic, and scholar. Ellison is best known for his novel ""Invisible Man"", which won the National Book Award in 1953. He also wrote ""Shadow and Act"" (1964), a collection of political, social and critical essays, and ""Going to the Territory"" (1986). For ""The New York Times"", the best of these essays in addition to the novel put him ""among the gods of America's literary Parnassus."" A posthumous novel, ""Juneteenth"", was published after being assembled from voluminous notes he left upon his death. Ralph"
"buried in an ""unmarked grave in a segregated cemetery"". When Walker arrives in Florida, she purchases a tombstone that reads: ""Zora Neale Hurston 'A Genius of the South' Novelist, Folklorist, Anthropologist 1901-1960"". The line ""a genius of the South"" comes from a poem by Jean Toomer, whom Walker applauds for his ""sensitivity to women and his ultimate condescension toward them"". Walker's exploration for the black writers of the past connects to her search for the kind of books that are underrepresented in American literature. She confirms this based on her referral to a comment by Toni Morrison: When Toni Morrison"
"of identified districts, Baltimore has been dubbed a ""city of neighborhoods"". Famous residents have included writers Edgar Allan Poe, Edith Hamilton, Frederick Douglass, Ogden Nash, and H. L. Mencken; jazz musician James ""Eubie"" Blake; singer Billie Holiday; actor and filmmakers John Waters and Barry Levinson; and baseball player Babe Ruth. During the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote ""The Star-Spangled Banner"" in Baltimore after the bombardment of Fort McHenry. His poem was set to music and popularized as a song; in 1931 it was designated as the American national anthem. Baltimore has more public statues and monuments per capita"