Westminster Hall and Burying Ground
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Westminster Hall and Burying Ground, is located on the corner of Fayette and Greene Streets on the west side of downtown Baltimore in the United States of America. Also known as “The Hall,” it is probably most famous as the burial site for Edgar Allan Poe.
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[edit] History
The graveyard was established in 1786 by the local Presbyterian community. In 1852, the City of Baltimore passed a city ordinance prohibiting cemeteries which were not adjacent to a religious structure. The graveyard had been known as the old Western Burying Grounds, but because there was no church building near the historic cemetery, the Westminster Presbyterian Church was built on piers directly over the graveyard. The early Gothic Revival church was constructed of brick with brownstone trim and very little ornament. Its greatest significance is the protection it provides for the burial vaults and tombs that are preserved underneath. The Presbyterian congregation continued until 1977, when care of the premises was assumed by the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Law and the building was renamed Westminster Hall.
The site has been used in an episode of Creepy Canada, with paranormal investigators discussing its possible haunting [1].
Some parts courtesy of the National Park Service
[edit] Persons of note interred
A number of famous Marylanders are interred here, including many Revolutionary patriots and veterans of the War of 1812. Other Marylanders include:
- James Calhoun (1743–1816), first Mayor of Baltimore
- James Morrison Harris (1817–1898), former U.S. Representative
- Edward Johnson (1767–1829), former mayor of Baltimore
- Philip Barton Key (1818–1859), son of Francis Scott Key, Shot and killed by Daniel E. Sickles, his lover's husband, at Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C., 27 February 1859.
- James McHenry (1753–1816), signer of the U.S. Constitution and Secretary of War
- Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), short story writer, editor and critic -- see Poe Toaster
- Robert Smith (1757–1842), former Secretary of the Navy, Secretary Of State, and Attorney General
- Samuel Smith (1752-1839), U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, and former mayor of Baltimore.
- Samuel Sterett (1758–1833), former U.S. Representative
- John Stricker (1758-1825), War of 1812 Militia Brigadier General.
[edit] Edgar Allan Poe
Arguably its most famous resident, Westminster Hall and Burying Ground is home to the grave of American author Edgar Allan Poe. Poe actually has two graves on this site: his original grave, towards the back of Westminster Hall, is a small stone marker with a raven. It was a family plot, lot 27, where his grandfather General David Poe Sr. and his brother Henry Leonard Poe are also buried [2]. In 1875, a local school teacher started a "Pennies for Poe" campaign to raise money for a more appropriate monument, resulting in the large marble monument located at the front of the cemetery facing Fayette St. Poe was re-buried there along with his aunt Maria Clemm and his wife Virginia.
Westminster Hall is the location of the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum's annual Poe birthday celebration every January, often featuring theatrical presentations and an apple cider toast. The organization claims it is the world's largest Poe birthday celebration.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Westminster Hall article in Baltimore Sun
