Think Poe was morbid because he wrote so often about death in poems like "Annabel Lee," "The Raven," and "Lenore?" Such poems about death and mourning were actually fairly common in the nineteenth century. With high infant mortality rates and the inability to combat diseases like tuberculosis (which claimed Poe’s mother, foster mother, brother, and wife), death was very much a part of everyday life. One in four children in Poe’s time died in infancy, and many women died in childbirth. Consequently, almost everyone knew someone who had died young. In this light, Poe's poems about the deaths of ...
The Poe Museum Blog
Poe Returns to Shockoe Hill Cemetery
If you missed last summer's unique tour/performance of Richmond's historic Shockoe Hill Cemetery, you're not alone because every performance was sold out in advance, causing many people to miss this rare opportunity. That's why Edgar Poe, the Allans, Elmira Shelton, Jane Stanard, and the rest of Poe's Richmond family and friends are returning for five more performances this September 22-24. Don't miss what could be the last opportunity to walk in Poe's footsteps as he (portrayed by Chris Patrick) guides you through the historic final resting place of many of his closest friends while reliving ...
Summer 2011 Newsletter
Here is the latest newsletter from the Poe Museum featuring updates on educational programs, exhibits, and a Poe Museum staff member whose short story was just published in a new horror anthology.
PoeMuseumSummer2011newsletter ...
Cask of Amontillado Unhappy Hour
The theme for our July Unhappy Hour centered on Poe's classic tale of wine and revenge, "The Cask Of Amontillado". Since Poe's tale is set in Italy during "the supreme madness of the Carnival season," we decided to celebrate with a little carnival of our own in the Enchanted Garden.
It was a very hot and humid night, but we had lots of wonderful folks brave the heat to enjoy the festivities anyway and it was well worth the effort.
Local band Beggars of Life provided the perfect musical accompaniment to the evening. Here is a video of Lulu, Phineas Figg and Stinky Patterson in action in ...
