Tag Archives: Weird Richmond

The Mysterious Disappearing Poe Bust

One crisp Sunday afternoon in October 1987, tour guide Tom Rowe led a group of students across the Poe Museum’s garden to show them the treasure sitting on the pedestal in the Poe Shrine. Pointing toward the shadow recesses of the brick pergola, he announced, “And here’s the bust of Poe made by Edmond T….

Unique Portrait Reveals Young Edgar Allan Poe

He had just made the greatest discovery in his long career of Poe collecting. This was the kind of find that could change the face of Poe studies and instantly transform the popular image of Edgar Allan Poe. By the end of the nineteenth century, Richmond historian Robert Lee Traylor (1864-1907) had been fortunate enough…

H.P. Lovecraft Visits the Poe Museum

Last Saturday, August 20, would have been the 126th birthday of H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937), author of such influential horror, science fiction, and fantasy tales as The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror, and At the Mountains of Madness (which was inspired by Poe’s novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym). Lovecraft’s influence on both horror…

Cholera Pandemic Terrified and Inspired Edgar Allan Poe

The population of New York City was 515,547 at the beginning of 1849. When a cholera epidemic broke out that spring, about 100,000 people fled the city. Of those who remained, 5,071 succumbed to the disease. The July 8 issue of The Christian Intelligencer reported that 358 New Yorkers died of cholera in the week…

Travel Through Richmond History this Weekend

TIME TRAVELERS: A FREE WEEKEND OF RICHMOND HISTORY FEATURING 13 HISTORIC HOUSES OF GREATER RICHMOND Richmond’s most renowned historic homes and museums offer visitors a “passport” to time-travel during a special admission-free weekend on Saturday and Sunday, March 12 and 13. Tourists and locals alike are invited to discover the City’s treasures, spanning 400 years…

Memento of a Lost Love is Poe Museum’s Object of the Month

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we thought the Poe Museum’s Object of the Month for February should be a memento of Poe’s “first and last love.” Edgar Allan Poe was a distasteful subject in Elmira Royster Shelton’s home. In fact, her daughter forbade her to mention his name in her presence. For decades,…

Poe Museum and James River Writers Start New Literary Salon

On February 11 from 7-9 p.m. at the Patrick Henry Pub and Grille in Richmond, the Poe Museum will team up with James River Writers to bring back the grand tradition of the salon, an intimate setting to meet & fraternize with local authors as they in turn guide you in your own writing practice….

Crowd Celebrates Poe’s Birthday in RVA

People of all ages arrived at the Poe Museum last Saturday for the thirteen-hour Poe Birthday Bash 2016. A line had already formed on the sidewalk before the museum even opened, and there was still a crowd lingering after the midnight champagne toast. Below are a few scenes from the celebration. The cake featured Poe,…

Nobody Does Halloween Like the Poe Museum

Halloween just isn’t Halloween without Edgar Allan Poe. In addition to inventing the detective story and revolutionizing science fiction, Poe developed the modern tale of psychological terror. Readings of “The Tell-Tale Heart” and screenings of the countless screen adaptations of Poe’s works are staples of the Halloween season—guaranteed to send shivers down your spine. This…

Beloved Horror Host Returns to Support Poe Museum

On October 10 at the Byrd Theater in Richmond VA, fans of legendary horror movie host, the Bowman Body, will have a unique opportunity to see both newly shot footage and surviving footage from the popular local show “Shock Theatre” and help a worthy cause at the same time. Director Sean Kotz of Horse Archer…