Freaky Friday Files: The Poe Toaster

ashey9111
1 day ago
2 min read

Hi friends! Happy Friday! I hope you've had a wonderful week so far. For this week's edition of Freaky Friday Files, I thought we could look at the unsolved mystery of the Poe Toaster. It's a bit of a short one and not as spooky as some of my other Freaky Friday editions. Enjoy.

PIN IT

I also made a YT video to go with this post! Here it is :D

The Poe Toaster

Yes, this mystery is all to do with poet/writer Edgar Allen Poe (1809 - 1849) and his grave. I think most people know who he was and his writings, but if you're unfamiliar with his work, he wrote about the macabre and was a leader in American Gothic fiction. Famous works include "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart". According to Wikipedia, the Poe Toaster is a term used to describe an unidentified person (or most likely multiple persons) who paid annual tribute to Edgar Allen Poe by visiting his cenotaph (empty grave) that marked his original grave in Baltimore, Maryland, USA on his birthday (the 19th January) each year.

The unidentified person was described as being dressed in black, with a wide-brimmed hat and white scarf. He would pour himself a glass of alcohol (cognac) and raise a toast to Edgar Allan Poe's memory. He would leave 3 roses in a particular arrangement, as well as the unfinished bottle of alcohol. Onlookers gathered each year in hopes they would see the Toaster, but he did not seek out any publicity and was rarely seen or photographed.

Eyewitness statements suggested that the Toaster would make an annual visit from the 1930s all the way until his passing in 1998. Then it is believed it was taken over by a son (it's not clear whether it was his son or someone else). The Poe Toaster/s were confirmed to visit Poe's grave all the way until 2009, and in 2010, 2011, and 2012, there were no sightings. However, in 2016, the tradition was repeated as the Maryland Historical Society appointed someone to take over the ritual.

Only one person has ever tried to "unmask" the Poe Toaster, but this was unsuccessful. We have no idea who these people were, but speculations as to why the Toaster would leave 3 roses may be because the 3 roses represent the 3 buried in the grave: Poe, his wife, and his mother-in-law. We don't know why the Toaster drank cognac, as there are no references in Poe's work, but it's thought that the Toaster just liked the taste. It's also assumed that the Toaster was a man as they dressed as masc-presenting.

Who do you think the original Poe Taster was? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Ash x

References