Poe Toaster
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The Poe Toaster is the unofficial nickname given to a mysterious figure who pays an annual tribute to American author Edgar Allan Poe by visiting the author's original grave marker on his birthday.
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[edit] Description
The unexplained tradition began in 1949 and has occurred on the author's birthday (January 19) of every year since. In the early hours of the morning on that date, a black-clad figure with a silver-tipped cane enters the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore, Maryland. The individual proceeds to Poe's grave, where he or she raises a cognac toast. Before departing, the Toaster leaves three red roses and a half-bottle of cognac on the grave. The roses are believed to represent Poe, his wife Virginia, and his mother-in-law Maria Clemm, all three of whom are interred at the site. The significance of the cognac itself is unknown. Many of the bottles left behind have been taken and stored by the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore.
The Toaster wears a black coat and hat, and obscures his or her face with a scarf or hood. A group of reporters and Poe enthusiasts are usually on hand to observe the event. Generally, none have attempted to interfere with the Toaster's entry, tribute or departure or to identify the individual out of respect for the tradition (and, perhaps, the mystery).
The identity of the "Toaster" has never been revealed. The gender of the Toaster is generally agreed to be male, although there is no solid evidence as to whether this is accurate.
[edit] Notes
- On several occasions, the Toaster has left notes in addition to the usual tribute. Some of these are simple expressions of devotion, such as one that read "Edgar, I haven't forgotten you."
- In 1993, a cryptic note was left at the grave saying, "The torch will be passed." This led to the theory that the original toaster was ill or dying.
- In 1999, a note was left stating that the original Toaster had died in 1998, conveying the tradition to a son;[1] subsequent witnesses to the tradition have noted the current Toaster to be an apparently younger individual.
- In 2001, days before the Baltimore Ravens were to play against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, a note was left saying "The New York Giants. Darkness and decay and the big blue hold dominion over all. The Baltimore Ravens. A thousand injuries they will suffer. Edgar Allan Poe evermore." The news of the note's content caused a minor furor for several reasons. Never before had the Toaster commented on current events such as sports, and no one could explain why the Toaster would not favor the Baltimore Ravens, whose team name was inspired by The Raven, Poe's most famous poem. The prophecy (which was a play on the last line of The Masque of the Red Death: "And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all") never was fulfilled: Baltimore won the Super Bowl, 34-7.
- In 2004, the Poe Toaster appeared to take a dig at the French[2]; the note discovered among the roses stated "The sacred memory of Poe and his final resting place is no place for French cognac. With great reluctance but for respect for family tradition the cognac is placed. The memory of Poe shall live evermore!" Many interpreted this as a condemnation of France's opposition to the war in Iraq.
- In 2006, several onlookers gained entry into the graveyard in an attempt to accost and identify the Poe Toaster. This is considered to be due to feelings that the tradition had been sullied by the current toaster, believed to have replaced the original Poe Toaster in 1999. Jeff Jerome, curator of the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, was present (as he has been at every appearance of the Poe Toaster since 1976), and was quoted in press reports expressing his disappointment that the solemn occasion had thus been disrupted.
- In 2007, 55 to 60 people showed up for the Toaster's visit, making it the largest turnout recorded. In a radio interview, Jeff Jerome of the Poe House and Museum said that he was very pleased at the turnout and how they handled themselves compared to the previous year. He also stated that this is an internationally recognized tradition as people from Japan have come to visit for the annual visit from the Toaster.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- Rowlett, Curt (2006). Labyrinth13: True Tales of the Occult, Crime & Conspiracy, Chapter 5, The Tale of the Poe Toaster. Lulu Press. ISBN 1-4116-6083-8.
