Poe Toaster No Shows at Edgar Allan Poe's Grave for Second Year

Jan 21, 2011
Jill Stefko

Poe Toaster Left Gifts by Author’s Grave - Public Domain

202th anniversary of Poe's birthday: Poe Toaster didn't leave cognac and roses by his grave for the second year in a row. Some think the tradition is dead.

Poe toaster no shows for second year in a row. Since 1949, a man clothed in black and sporting a fedora and scarf to cover his face, visited Poe’s grave in the Old Western Burial Ground, now the Westminster Burying Ground, on January nineteenth, the author’s birthday. Every year, the unidentified mysterious man left three red roses and a bottle of cognac on the author’s grave. Once, he left an unsigned note to let Poe know he had not forgotten him. Some people believe there is more than one toaster. According to witnesses, the man’s hair was white; others, that it was black. The stranger missed last and this years’ visits. The identity of the mysterious Poe toaster remains unknown. Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House, and other people who contacted him said they hope the toaster’s identity will continue to be unknown. Why did the toaster no show for two years?

Poe Toaster’s Appearances

The visitor’s debut was on January 19, 1949, sixty-two years ago. The mysterious man arrived quietly, left three red roses and a bottle of cognac on the author’s grave, then left silently, disappearing into the darkness of night. Witnesses merely watched and didn’t approach him. According to the Edgar Allan Poe Society, the Poe Toaster’s last appearance was in 2009, two years ago, on the 200th anniversary of the author’s birthday.

There has been speculation about the identity of the Poe toaster for years. Theories include a Fells Point prankster, deceased in 2010, an adman who claimed that he started the tradition as a publicity stunt, a father-and-son duo and Jerome, who denies being the toaster. People, including women, have claimed that they’re the toaster; however, all have been debunked.

Jerome’s Poe Toaster Gathering

The curator has been following the Poe toaster’s tradition since 1977. One year, Jerome hosted a party with almost seventy invited guests. They met near Poe’s grave at midnight on January nineteenth. The host and guests saw a man, clothed in black, carrying a cane, scuttle through the graveyard and disappear at the cemetery’s east wall. When the group arrived at Poe’s grave, they found the bottle of cognac and three roses.

Jerome’s 2011 Vigil for the Poe Toaster

The curator stayed by Poe's grave until 5:45 AM Wednesday morning, waiting for the toaster. Four imposters showed up. Although Jerome never knew the toaster’s name or saw his face, his overall appearance remained the same. None of the four who showed up matched the toaster’s description. Jerome appreciated the enthusiasm of the four imposters whose flamboyant entrances to reach Poe’s grave to be the actual toaster belied the silent one of the real man. About a dozen people were waiting outside of Westminster Hall and Burying Ground’s gates on Fayette Street. At dawn, it was evident that the genuine toaster would no show. Jerome opened the gate and allowed visitors to leave their gifts on Poe's grave.

Requiem for the Poe Toaster

Before he went to bed on Wednesday, Jerome told a Baltimore Sun reporter that he would maintain his vigil in 2012. If the genuine toaster no shows, it will be time to let the tradition die a gallant death. Jerome would officially pronounce the tradition dead. The curator took as many media calls as he could, then went to bed. He left a voice mail message that he had been awake for 25 hours, was exhausted and needed sleep.

Poe Toaster Remains an Enigma

The man’s no showing at Poe’s grave for two years is as mysterious as his identity and purpose. Was the toaster one person or a father- son duo? Did he or they die? It’s possible because the traditional visits lasted for sixty years. It’s likely that the crowd of people waiting for him or them to appear made it increasingly difficult for him or them to go in and out of the graveyard unobserved.

Maybe he or they simply decided to end the tradition on the 2002h anniversary of Poe’s birthday.

Sara Hisamoto, Director of Public Relations for Visit Baltimore, said the Poe Toaster is a great story and tradition and it’s sad to see it end. The Edgar Allan Poe Society will celebrate the author’s birthday with a party at Westminster Hall despite the fact that the toaster no showed this year.

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Sources:

“Mysterious Poe Visitor Doesn't Show for 2nd Year,” Chris Kaltenbach, The Baltimore Sun, January 19, 2011 http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bs-ae-poe-toaster-20110119,0,1160186.story Accessed on January 21, 2011.

“Edgar Allan Poe's Cognac-carrying Admirer Fails to Materialize Again,” no author given, CNN, January 19th, 2011, http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/19/edgar-allan-poes-cognac-carrying-admirer-fails-to-materialize-again/?iref=obinsite Accessed on January 21, 2011.