Edgar Allan Poe 'Toaster' Tradition Ends
The tradition for a fan of Edgar Allan Poe to visit the author's gravesite on the anniversary of his birth with cognac has officially ended.
Many Poe enthusiasts attended one last vigil late Wednesday and waited for the special "Poe Toaster" fan to arrive with three roses and a half-empty bottle of cognac. The mysterious visitor did not arrive though, and has not appeared at the gravesite for the past three years.
Poe House and Museum Curator Jeff Jerome told The Associated Press that the "Poe Toaster" tradition "is over with."
"It will probably hit me later, but I'm too tired to feel anything else," said the curator and Poe fan.
The anonymous man wearing black clothes, a white scarf and a wide-brimmed hat is believed to have left the special tributes on Poe's grave since the early 1940s.
Poe, who was born in 1809, is a celebrated figure in American history. Although the author was born in Boston he lived in numerous cities including Richmond, Philadelphia, and New York City before he died in Baltimore in 1849.
According to Jerome, a crowd gathered outside the gates of the burial ground surrounding Westminster Hall in Baltimore where Poe lies to watch for the "Poe Toaster," but only three impersonators arrived.
"I've been a part of a ritual that people around the world read about," said the curator. "I'll miss it."
Despite the mysterious fan's absence, Jerome said a new tradition may replace the old one, with Poe fans reading tributes to the writer at the writer's gravesite.
Poe is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre, and one of the first contributors to the genre of science fiction. An author, poet, editor, and literary critic, Poe is best known for his tales of mystery and macabre such as "The Raven," "The Tell-Tale Heart," and "The Pit and the Pendulum," while "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is considered the first modern detective story.
The famed author died at age 40 of unknown causes, but has been variously attributed to alcohol, brain congestion, cholera, drugs, heart disease, suicide, and several other ailments.
World renowned, Poe's writing has influenced literature around the world, and the author often appears in literary popular culture including television, music, and films. Today many of his homes are dedicated to museums.
