Edgar Allen Poe

Legend has it that the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe has been seen near his grave and in the catacombs of the church. The author died mysteriously in Baltimore and thus came to be buried there. He had lived in the city years before, but had only been passing through when he perished under mysterious circumstances. At the time of his death, Poe had been on his way to New York to meet his beloved mother-in-law. He was bringing her back to Richmond, Virginia, where the author was to marry his childhood sweetheart. His first wife had perished from tuberculosis years before.

The trip came to a tragic conclusion when, four days after reaching Baltimore, Poe was found barely conscious and lying in a gutter on East Lombard Street. He was rushed to a hospital but he died a short time later.

The entire time in the hospital was spent with Poe crying and trembling and he once screamed the name "Reynolds"... although who this could have been also remains a mystery. He died on October 7, 1849.

Some said Poe's death was caused by alcohol, others say that he was in a psychotic state and even rabies has been blamed. Other writers believe that he may have been drugged and murdered as the clothes that he wore were not his own and the walking stick he carried belonged to another man. There have been literally dozens of theories posed as to what caused Poe’s death but no one will ever know for sure. Perhaps the fact that his death remains unexplained is the reason why Poe’s ghost remains in the Old Western Burial Ground.