Celebrate Edgar Allan Poe’s Birthday With the Master Himself
Baltimore author and ghost hunter puts on a birthday bash for America’s most famous writer.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND — Author and ghost-hunter Vince Wilson asks you to join him and his guests for a birthday party on January 19, 2007.
“He’d be 198 years-old if he were still alive,” says Wilson, a ghost hunter for more than 10 years now. “He is arguably America’s greatest author. This is a celebration that will not soon be forgotten.”
Who is the “he” that Wilson is talking about? Well, none other than master of horror and mystery — the legendary Edgar Allan Poe.
Edgar Allan Poe died in October 1849, just five years after writing, perhaps his most famous poem, "The Raven." Poe is the creator of the modern detective story having written Murders in the Rue Morgue a full 46 years before Sir Author Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. He is also the originator of the modern horror.
“I think what makes Poe such a legendary character,” continues Wilson, “is in part due to the mystery surrounding his death.”
To this day no one knows what exactly happened to the master of modern horror in his last moments. Speculation is varied from rabies to forced voting practices. Vince Wilson, author of the books Ghost Science and Ghost Tech, which explain the science and technology behind ghost hunting, will be exploring some of those theories during the celebration in Baltimore on January 19th 2007.
“It really upsets me to see that many of the myths that surround Poe, that of him being a drunk and drug abuser, friendless cad and womanizer, are told today as factual history.
“Edgar Allan Poe was extraordinary individual with ordinary problems,” adds Wilson, who also the owner of the Mysterious Maryland Tour Company. “Many people feel they can relate to him.”
Wilson and his colleagues will be getting up close and personal with Edgar Allan Poe at Poe’s gravesite in Baltimore, Maryland. He is also inviting the general public to join him there and toast to the good author’s — death? No, to the life lead and the wonders of his works. Wilson has invited other authors and friends to the Westminster Burying Grounds in the heart of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Authors like Rosemary Ellen Guiley, author of over 35 books on the paranormal and supernatural, Mark Nesbitt of Ghosts of Gettysburg fame and Reading, Pennsylvania author and tour guide Charles J. Adams III. Adams will be doing a reading of "The Raven" and reenacting the famous visit by the "Poe Toaster." No, the Toaster is not a kitchen appliance.
“This mysterious visitor has been visiting Poe’s grave on the author’s birthday anniversary since 1949,” exclaims Wilson. “No doubt we will be there again this upcoming January as well.”
Representatives of New Old Theater acting troupe will also be on hand to do readings of some of Poe’s more popular works. Poe’s Birthday Bash will also include ghost hunting, historical facts and theories and tales from the Burying Grounds and Catacombs including that of the notorious Frank the Body Snatcher. People who dress-up as their favorite Poe characters will have the chance to win prizes too. Authors will be on hand to sign copies of their books.
To sign up for this special event, go to: mysteriousmd.com/poe_birthday.htm
