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| The spirit of Edgar Allan Poe is said to haunt the streets and graveyard of Baltimore, Maryland where he spent a good portion of his life |
Edgar was born in Boston, Massachusetts in the year 1809. His father had abandoned his family and shortly after he was born his mother passed away, leaving him orphaned. He had a hard time holding a steady job as he was reported to be a very depressed individual and suppressed it or enhanced it, through drinking heavily. In 1835 he married his thirteen year old cousin Virginia Clem. However, in 1847 she became very ill as she had contracted tuberculosis. She died that same year.
Many believe that these series of events in his life made his poetry the memorable works that they are today. He seemed to put his life's anguish into is writings and produced masterpieces such as The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell-Tale Heart just to name a few. Ironically, his poem The Raven which made him a well known author almost overnight, only earned him nine dollars.
Two years after his wife passed away, Edgar Allan Poe was found lying in a street on October 3, 1849 in a dreadful state. Delirious and extremely ill, he was taken to Washington College Hospital where five days later on October 7th, he passed away. The exact cause of his death remains a mystery. He did not live in Baltimore at the time and was simply passing through. He was seen in in a bar toasting with friends five days prior to being found in the streets. Poe was interred at the Western Burial Ground in Baltimore along with many of his family. Today, the Old Western Burial Ground as it is known by is one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States.
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| The gates of Old Western Burial Ground in Baltimore, Maryland where Edgar Allan Poe was laid to rest |
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| The original grave of Edgar Allan Poe, his mother and his wife. They were later moved to a larger monument near the gates of the cemetery. |
Many say that the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe has been seen strolling the streets wearing his black frock and hat. He frequently walked the streets and was a patron of many local pubs and taverns so it is no surprise that he would choose to linger in these places in the afterlife. He is also thought to haunt the cemetery where he is buried. His grave was moved from his original burial place in 1875 to a large monument that was erected in his honor close to the front gates of the cemetery. Perhaps this move has disturbed his spirit and now roams the grounds as well as the catacombs of Westminster Hall which were created when the original Westminster Presbyterian Church was constructed over top of a portion of the graveyard in 1852. In fact, many bodies were moved to the catacomb which many believe make the graveyard one of the most haunted in the country.
