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.
I tend to think more than one person has been keeping the tradition alive.