A most poetical year to honor the beloved wife of Edgar Allan Poe.
Monthly events and programs in 2022
Edgar Allan Poe famously proclaimed the "death of a beautiful woman" the most poetical subject in the world. The prolonged suffering of his beautiful, dying wife, Virginia Poe (1822 - 1847,) almost certainly inspired this belief. Muse, poetess, child bride, daughter of Baltimore, Virginia Poe remains one of the most enigmatic and controversial figures in the famed author's history.
Commemorating the 200th birthday of Edgar Allan Poe's beloved wife, the Virginia Poe Bicentennial will include monthly virtual and in-person programs including grave-side chats, hidden history, discussion series, and exhibits.
May Event:
MOTHER: The Hidden Histories of the Women in the Poe Family (hybrid event)
Act I
The Life of Elizabeth Cairnes Poe, Matron & Patriot
J. Scott Watkins appears as David Poe Sr., Revolutionary War hero and patriot at the battle of North Point in the War of 1812, to talk about the family's contribution to the founding of the United States, and the forgotten war service of his wife, Elizabeth.
Scrupulous Sextons
Cemetery walk & grave-side chat at Westminster Hall with J. Scott Watkins, living history performer and descendant of the sextons at burials of both Edgar and Virginia!
Act II
"To My Mother" by Edgar Allan Poe
Reading by Kalin Thomas, Maryland Women's Heritage Center
Baltimore Mothers: Real and True Women
Antebellum women were expected to be pious, pure, submissive, and domestic. This ideal was not one that all women were able to achieve. Join Dr. Amy Rosenkrans for a talk on motherhood in Baltimore across race, religious, and social classes.
Act III
Virginia Poe Artifacts at Enoch Pratt Free Library
Eben Dennis shares items from the Edgar Allan Poe Special Collection at the Enoch Pratt Library
