For more than 60 years, a secretive man in a black hat with a white scarf would visit the grave of Edgar Allan Poe on the anniversary of his birth. The Poe Toaster, as the person was known, would leave roses and a half-finished bottle of cognac for the long-dead horror master Poe, then disappear only to return next year. The Poe Toaster did not miss a year, appearing every year from the 1940’s until the 200th anniversary of Poe’s birth in 2009; since then, the Poe Toaster has been a no-show. For the second year in a row, the Poe Toaster did not show up to leave his customary gift on Poe’s grave.
“I think we can safely say it’s not car trouble, and he’s not sick. This doesn’t look good,” said Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum, who started his vigil of the vigil in 1978. “It’s sort of like a marriage that ends. Part of you still wants the warmth that was part of it, and you go looking for the same woman. No, it’s over with. And if it’s over with, it’s over with. If people want to continue the tradition, it’s going to be without me.”
If the Poe Toaster tribute had to end, there’s no better time to end than with Poe’s 200th anniversary. Still, it’s kind of a shame to see that the tradition is officially over. I guess no good thing lasts forever.
Tags: Poe Toaster, Edgar Allan Poe, Baltimore, Maryland, Poe Toaster missing for the second year in a row, Poe Toaster tradition broken, Poe Toaster believed to be dead, cognac and flowers not left on Poe’s grave this year, Poe toaster tradition ends after 60 years, Poe toaster missing for the second year in a row, Jeff Jerome, Poe House and Museum
