Long Goodbye: Edgar Allan Poe Gets Proper Funeral

It’s been a good 200th anniversary year for Edgar Allan Poe. The master of gothic horror has been celebrated at events in several cities to mark the bicentennial of his birth. And on Sunday in Baltimore, he’ll get the funeral he never had.

AP
Published: October 6, 2009

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BALTIMORE (AP) - It’s been a good 200th anniversary year for Edgar Allan Poe. The master of gothic horror has been celebrated at events in several cities to mark the bicentennial of his birth.

And on Sunday in Baltimore, he’ll get the funeral he never had.

Fewer than 10 people attended Poe’s funeral when he died in October 1849 at age 40. His cousin, Neilson Poe, never announced the great writer’s death publicly.

Because of intense interest, Baltimore will host two funerals. Each is expected to draw about 350 people to Westminster Hall, the former church adjacent to Poe’s grave. Actors will portray Poe’s
friends and contemporaries as well as writers and artists who cited Poe as an influence.

The Poe House and Museum will also host a viewing of a replica of Poe’s body on Wednesday.