Westminster Hall and Burying Ground
Encyclopedia
The Westminster Hall and Burying Ground is a graveyard
and former church located at 519 West Fayette Street in Baltimore, Maryland
, United States
. Occupying the southeast corner of Fayette and Greene Street
on the west side of downtown Baltimore, the site is probably most famous as the burial site of Edgar Allan Poe
. The complex was declared a national historic district
in 1974.
and War of 1812
. Today, this "who's who" of early Baltimore is overshadowed by the presence of writer Edgar Allan Poe, who was buried here in October 1849 following his sudden and mysterious death
. In 1852, a church was erected overtop the graveyard, its brick piers straddling gravestones and burial vaults to create what later Baltimoreans referred to as "catacombs." For years, it was thought that the Gothic Revival-style
Westminster Presbyterian Church was built in response to a new city ordinance prohibiting cemeteries that were not adjacent to a religious structure. Research in the early 1980s by historian Michael Franch found no such ordinance -- and revealed a more complex motive. The congregation hoped that the new church would serve Baltimore's growing West End -- new churches were then springing up in every corner of the city in response to a dramatic increase in population -- and provide protection to an aging, old-fashioned 18th-century style burying ground that few saw as an appropriate resting place.
Westminster Presbyterian Church lived up to its promise for several decades, but suffered a dramatic loss of congregants by the early 1900s. Revived in the 1920s, the congregation continued until 1977 when care of the premises was assumed by the University of Maryland School of Law
, which occupies the rest of the square block bounded by Baltimore, Paca, Fayette and Greene streets. Under the auspices of the non-profit Westminster Preservation Trust, the burying grounds were cleaned up and the church was renovated for public use as Westminster Hall. In 2006, the Westminster Preservation Trust installed more than 20 interpretive signs around the burying ground and catacombs.
The site has been used in an episode of Creepy Canada
, with paranormal
investigators from BSPR discussing its possible haunting.
patriots and veterans of the War of 1812
. Other Marylanders include:
, arguably its most famous resident. Poe actually has two graves on this site: his original grave and a monument added in 1875. His original burial spot, towards the back of Westminster Hall, is marked by a headstone with an engraved raven. It was a family plot, lot 27, where his grandfather General David Poe Sr. and his brother Henry Leonard Poe are also buried. In 1875, a local school teacher started a "Pennies for Poe" campaign to raise money for a more appropriate monument, resulting in the large marble monument located at the front of the cemetery facing Fayette St; to this day, it is traditional for visitors to the grave to leave a penny on the monument. Poe was re-buried there along with his aunt and mother-in-law Maria Clemm and his wife Virginia
.
Westminster Hall is the location of the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum
's annual Poe birthday celebration every January, often featuring theatrical presentations and an apple cider
toast
. The organization claims it is the world's largest Poe birthday celebration. On Poe's birthday, January 19, an unidentified man known endearingly as the Poe Toaster
visited the burying ground to make an annual tribute to Poe. The tradition seemingly ended in 2009.
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...
and former church located at 519 West Fayette Street in Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Occupying the southeast corner of Fayette and Greene Street
Baltimore-Washington Parkway
The Baltimore–Washington Parkway is a highway in the U.S. state of Maryland, running southwest from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The road begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 50 and Maryland Route 201 near Cheverly in Prince George's County at the D.C...
on the west side of downtown Baltimore, the site is probably most famous as the burial site of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
. The complex was declared a national historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
in 1974.
History
The graveyard was established in 1786 by the First Presbyterian Church, a congregation of socially and economically elite local Presbyterians. Over the next 60 years, the burying grounds became the final resting place for important and influential merchants, politicians, statesmen, and dozens of veterans of the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Today, this "who's who" of early Baltimore is overshadowed by the presence of writer Edgar Allan Poe, who was buried here in October 1849 following his sudden and mysterious death
Death of Edgar Allan Poe
The death of Edgar Allan Poe on October 7, 1849, has remained mysterious: the circumstances leading up to it are uncertain and the cause of death is disputed. On October 3, Poe was found delirious on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland, "in great distress, and ... in need of immediate assistance",...
. In 1852, a church was erected overtop the graveyard, its brick piers straddling gravestones and burial vaults to create what later Baltimoreans referred to as "catacombs." For years, it was thought that the Gothic Revival-style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
Westminster Presbyterian Church was built in response to a new city ordinance prohibiting cemeteries that were not adjacent to a religious structure. Research in the early 1980s by historian Michael Franch found no such ordinance -- and revealed a more complex motive. The congregation hoped that the new church would serve Baltimore's growing West End -- new churches were then springing up in every corner of the city in response to a dramatic increase in population -- and provide protection to an aging, old-fashioned 18th-century style burying ground that few saw as an appropriate resting place.
Westminster Presbyterian Church lived up to its promise for several decades, but suffered a dramatic loss of congregants by the early 1900s. Revived in the 1920s, the congregation continued until 1977 when care of the premises was assumed by the University of Maryland School of Law
University of Maryland School of Law
The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law is the second-oldest law school in the United States by date of establishment and third-oldest by date of first classes. The school is located on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore in Downtown Baltimore's West Side...
, which occupies the rest of the square block bounded by Baltimore, Paca, Fayette and Greene streets. Under the auspices of the non-profit Westminster Preservation Trust, the burying grounds were cleaned up and the church was renovated for public use as Westminster Hall. In 2006, the Westminster Preservation Trust installed more than 20 interpretive signs around the burying ground and catacombs.
The site has been used in an episode of Creepy Canada
Creepy Canada
Creepy Canada is a Canadian television series that aired on OLN. It focused on paranormal activities around Canada. The show first premiered on October 23, 2002 and began its third season on May 5, 2006...
, with paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
investigators from BSPR discussing its possible haunting.
Persons of note interred
A number of famous Marylanders are interred here, including many RevolutionaryAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
patriots and veterans of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Other Marylanders include:
- James Calhoun (1743–1816), first Mayor of Baltimore
- James Morrison HarrisJames Morrison HarrisJames Morrison Harris was a Representative from the third district of Maryland.Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Harris was educated at private institutions in the city. He then entered Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1833 where he studied law...
(1817–1898), U.S. Representative - Edward Johnson (1767–1829), MayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of BaltimoreBaltimoreBaltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore... - Philip Barton Key (1818–1859), son of Francis Scott KeyFrancis Scott KeyFrancis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
, Shot and killed by Daniel E. Sickles, his lover's husband, at Lafayette Park, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, 27 February 1859 - James McHenryJames McHenryJames McHenry was an early American statesman. McHenry was a signer of the United States Constitution from Maryland and the namesake of Fort McHenry...
(1753–1816), signer of the U.S. Constitution and Secretary of WarUnited States Secretary of WarThe Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation... - Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
(1809–1849), short storyShort storyA short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer, editor and critic- Virginia Eliza Clemm PoeVirginia Eliza Clemm PoeVirginia Eliza Clemm Poe was the wife of American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The couple were first cousins and married when Virginia Clemm was 13 and Poe was 27...
(1822–1847), wife of Edgar Allan Poe - Maria Clemm (1790–1871), mother-in-law and aunt of Edgar Allan Poe
- William Henry Leonard PoeWilliam Henry Leonard PoeWilliam Henry Leonard Poe, often referred to as Henry Poe , was a sailor, amateur poet and the older brother of Edgar Allan Poe and Rosalie Poe....
(1807–1831), brother of Edgar Allan Poe - General David Poe, Sr. (1743–1816), grandfather of Edgar Allan Poe
- Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe
- Robert Smith (1757–1842), Secretary of the Navy, Secretary Of StateUnited States Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
, and Attorney GeneralUnited States Attorney GeneralThe United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government... - Samuel SmithSamuel Smith (Maryland)Samuel Smith was a United States Senator and Representative from Maryland, a mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, and a general in the Maryland militia. He was the brother of cabinet secretary Robert Smith.-Biography:...
(1752–1839), U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, and Mayor of Baltimore - Samuel SterettSamuel SterettSamuel Sterett was a Representative from the fourth congressional district of Maryland.Born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1758, Sterett moved with his parents to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1761. After he completed preparatory studies, he went to and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in...
(1758–1833), U.S. Representative - David StewartDavid Stewart (Maryland)David Stewart was an American Senator.Stewart was born in Baltimore, Maryland, completed preparatory studies, and attended the College of New Jersey . He graduated from Union College of Schenectady, New York in 1819...
(1800–1858), U.S. Senator - John StrickerJohn StrickerBrigadier General John Stricker was a Maryland Militia officer who fought in both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812...
(1758–1825), War of 1812War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
Militia Brigadier General
Edgar Allan Poe
Westminster Hall and Burying Ground is home to the grave of American author Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
, arguably its most famous resident. Poe actually has two graves on this site: his original grave and a monument added in 1875. His original burial spot, towards the back of Westminster Hall, is marked by a headstone with an engraved raven. It was a family plot, lot 27, where his grandfather General David Poe Sr. and his brother Henry Leonard Poe are also buried. In 1875, a local school teacher started a "Pennies for Poe" campaign to raise money for a more appropriate monument, resulting in the large marble monument located at the front of the cemetery facing Fayette St; to this day, it is traditional for visitors to the grave to leave a penny on the monument. Poe was re-buried there along with his aunt and mother-in-law Maria Clemm and his wife Virginia
Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe
Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe was the wife of American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The couple were first cousins and married when Virginia Clemm was 13 and Poe was 27...
.
Westminster Hall is the location of the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum
Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum
The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, located at 203 Amity St. in Baltimore, Maryland, is the former home of American writer Edgar Allan Poe in the 1830s. Now open as a museum, the small unassuming structure is a typical row home, and also houses the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore. It was...
's annual Poe birthday celebration every January, often featuring theatrical presentations and an apple cider
Apple cider
Apple cider is the name used in the United States and parts of Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples...
toast
Toast (honor)
A toast is a ritual in which a drink is taken as an expression of honor or goodwill. The term may be applied to the person or thing so honored, the drink taken, or the verbal expression accompanying the drink. Thus, a person could be "the toast of the evening," for whom someone "proposes a toast"...
. The organization claims it is the world's largest Poe birthday celebration. On Poe's birthday, January 19, an unidentified man known endearingly as the Poe Toaster
Poe Toaster
The Poe Toaster is an unofficial nickname given to a mysterious person who, from approximately 1949 until 2009, paid an annual tribute to American author Edgar Allan Poe by visiting the stone marking his original grave in Baltimore, Maryland in the early hours of January 19, Poe's birthday...
visited the burying ground to make an annual tribute to Poe. The tradition seemingly ended in 2009.
External links
- Westminster Hall article in Baltimore Sun
- Westminster Hall official site.
- Baltimore, Maryland, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- Westminster Presbyterian Church & Cemetery, Baltimore City, including photo dated 1997, at Maryland Historical Trust