The Death of Edgar Allen Poe – October 7, 1849

On October 7, 1849, horror and mystery author, poet and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe was died at the age of 40 in Baltimore, Maryland.

RADIO SHOW NOTICE: On Monday Oct.7th 2024, at 8:00 AM ( Alaska Time), on our local public radio show celebrates the life of Poe. Listen live on102.7fm, or 103.1fm. or https://www.ktoo.org/listen/krnn/

“Death is but…”

Poe invented the modern mystery story, mostly invented science fiction, and was the first writer to take the horror stories of the Gothic era and set them in modern times, starting a trend that continues today. With a lifelong interest in Poe, Troy Taylor decided to take his own look at the mysterious and macabre writer, his tragic life, unexplained death, and lingering hauntings.

He invites readers along to delve into the strange and bizarre world of Edgar Allan Poe, from his early life to his tragic marriage, his insane grief, his dramatically failed career, his links to an unsolved murder, and the mystery of what happened to the writer during five days before his unexplained death. Even more than a century and a half later, no one knows what happened to Poe before he was found delirious on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland – or what killed him. Why did he disappear and then show up in an incoherent state, wearing another man’s clothes? Where did he go when he vanished and who was the mysterious “Reynolds” that Poe whispered about in his dying breath?

And, perhaps strangest of all, does he haunt the mysterious graveyard where his body is buried? And who is the stranger who appears at Poe’s grave each year on the anniversary of his birth, leaving roses and cryptic messages behind? This is a tale of mystery and madness, real-life horror and the supernatural, and it’s a book that you don’t want to miss!

The boundaries between Lifre from Death…

No aspect of his life has so fascinated Poe’s fans and detractors as his death. Unfortunately, there is also no greater example of how badly Poe’s biography has been handled. Shrouded in opinion and contradiction, the essential details of Poe’s final days leave us with more questions than answers. In the end we must accept that the few tantalizing facts we have lead to no certain conclusion. Poe’s death must, probably, remain a mystery — but the puzzle still teases and entices us. It is easy to find ourselves reviewing the stories again in hopes of finding something new, to settle the question once and for all.

Four days earlier, Poe had been found lying in the gutter and was taken to Washington Medical College, where he died on Sunday, October 7, 1849, at 5:00 in the morning. Poe was never coherent long enough to explain how he came to be in his dire condition, and, oddly, was wearing clothes that were not his own. Poe is said to have repeatedly called out the name “Reynolds” on the night before his death, though it is unclear to whom he was referring.

“Thank Heaven…”

All medical records, including his death certificate, have been lost. Newspapers at the time reported Poe’s death as “congestion of the brain” or “cerebral inflammation.” common euphemisms for deaths from disreputable causes such as alcoholism. Speculative causes of his death range from heart disease, epilepsy, syphilis, rabies and outright murder.

Perhaps fittingly — for the master of mystery and the macabre — his actual cause of death remains a mystery

SOURCE: Goodreads; Troy Taylor NEVERMORE; Poe Society of Baltimore