Posted on 01/11/2004 10:41:21 PM PST by SunkenCiv
The Poe ToasterSince 1949, on the night of the anniversary of Poe's birth, a mysterious stranger has entered this cemetery and left as tribute a partial bottle of cognac and three roses on Poe's grave. The identity of the stranger, referred to affectionately as the Poe Toaster, is unknown. The significance of cognac is uncertain as it does not feature in Poe's works as would, for example, amontillado. The presumption for the three roses is that it represents the three persons whose remains are beneath the monument: Poe, his mother-in-law (Maria Clemm) and his wife Virginia. Out of respect, no attempt is made to stop or hinder him. Several of the bottles of cognac from prior years are on display in the Baltimore Poe House and Museum.
E.A. Poe Society of Baltimore
(Excerpt) Read more at eapoe.org ...
Edgar Allen PoePoe is buried in the Old Western Burial Ground in Baltimore, Maryland. Every January 19, Poe's birthday, for more than fifty years a man dressed in black and fedora has left cognac accompanied by three red roses on Poe's grave.
Celebrity Morgue
| Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | Armed Forces - Europe | 35.00 |
2 |
17.50 |
|
|
35.00 |
3 |
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Who shows up at Kant's grave? The Philosop Haster?
poe poster posts poe toaster post
Bitterly cold weather fails to daunt[Y]esterday, for the 56th time, a man stole into a downtown graveyard early on Edgar Allan Poe's birthday and placed three roses and a half-empty bottle of cognac on the writer's grave... The visitor arrived at 1:10 a.m. and was wearing a heavy coat, his face hidden by what appeared to be a black pullover. He was not wearing the traditional white scarf and black hat, Jerome said... People who stand vigil usually respect the visitor's desire for anonymity, and that, along with the visitor's quick moves and the cover of darkness, has kept his secret since 1949.
'Poe Toaster' on annual visit to grave
by Kasey Jones
Baltimore Sun
January 20, 2005
Quite a wild assumption that this is the same man all these years.... cool legend though.
Yeah, it's likely that at least two, possibly three have carried out this ritual. And that's assuming it's only gone on for that length of time -- perhaps this has been going on for decades longer, but no one noticed for a long while.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
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Oh no! Earwig attack!
Wouldn't it be funny if several guys showed up in the coat and fedora? Talk about socially awkward.
:'D
What's that thumping noise? Sounds like a, a, a...
http://www.literature.org/authors/poe-edgar-allan/tell-tale-heart.html
Ping.
Surely, you are a poetaster.
poetaster, n.: One who feeds on the literary corpse of Edgar Allen Poe.
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