The photograph of Poe was made up of the following images:

Photograph of window taken by Michael W. Kohlman

The Daguerreotype of Poe by William S. Hartshorn, 1848 was obtained from Wikipedia in a retouched state and is considered public domain as the copyright has expired in the United States of America.

This image was also altered and aged using, Age-Me.com to create an image which appears to be Poe had he lived another twenty years.


-Poe's death for many people is even a greater then the one's he penned while he was alive as on. Poe is found by Joseph W. Walker and taken into Cornelius Ryan's "4th Ward Polls," a tavern at Gunner's Hall, 44 East Lombard Street, awaiting the arrival of his friend Dr. Joseph Evans Snodgrass. Finding Poe nearly unconscious in the tavern, Snodgrass and Poe's uncle, Henry Herring, presume that he is drunk and send him in a carriage to Washington College Hospital (now Church Hospital), where his care is supervised by Dr. John J. Moran. (Direct excerpt is taken directly from the Edgar Allen Poe society's web page, "Edgar Allan Poe In Baltimore," from the chronology of his being in Baltimore. [I decided to keep it as is as it is so well written, to change it from this entry, would simply split up the facts and not really change the writing enough.]

In Poe's Society's entry, "Church Hospital (Site of Poe's Death)," it is explained that Poe was taken to a room in one of the towers, which is where they placed people suffering from the effects of alcohol so they don't bother the other patients. Poe's his attending physician, Dr. John J. Moran determined that Poe had not been drinking and since his cloths taken and replaced with articles more worn and garish, suspected that he had been robbed. He also noted that he angrily refused alcohol that was offered as a stimulant.

You can see for yourself both of these sites:
The Edgar Allan Poe Society
The Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum
-In fact if you are a Poe follower and fan, they can use your help as Baltimore City Government decided to no longer fund them and in order to keep Edgar Allan Poe's House and Museum open, must become self sufficient.

The House's curator, Jeff Jerome, fervently defends Poe and attempts to dispel the myths on how Poe died. One of Mr. Jerome's beliefs is that Poe suffered from diabetes which wasn't discovered until 1889 in Europe. It remained an untreatable disease for quite some time after that. I feel this is possible, or more likely added to other conditions people in Poe's time suffered from.


I created this Poem with the knowledge that Poe was known for drinking, and though he signed a temperance pledge, was seen shortly, a few days before, raising a toast at a celebration. Other than that, the story-line is merely this authors speculation, and the setting of a bar more for the imagery than any other reason. It was the area he was found wandering in that led me to believe this was a possibility.

This work also held a horrific creep factor for me as I wrote the first half, and not even knowing when Poe died, decided to see how accurate I was. The first was weather and I noted both the date he passed away as well as the recollection of Neilson Poe as, "cold and grey with a touch of rain." Weather can turn on a dime in Baltimore that time of year, but usually the cold and gray lasts a few days.

The is a bar in Baltimore, "The Horse You Came In On Saloon," that makes the claim that was the last place Edgar Allan Poe was seen. Still being operated with a current website, I was shocked to see while the layout was different; the interior was virtually the same, including the front windows.

I found a photograph of the establishment taken in 1850, and was shocked that much more. I have been to the Fells Point area, but never visited the bars and saloons there, and have also seen drawings and photographs of the waterfront at various times in Baltimore's History. The bar is a waterfront one that is along Thames Street.

I also wanted to use a lamp lighter's reference and Baltimore was also one of the first cities to have gas lighting in the United States, and dates back to 1816, when Rembrandt Peale, William Gwynn, and three other partners formed the Gas Light Company of Baltimore. This company would eventually become known as Baltimore Gas and Electric Company who still exists today.

The other characteristics found in this poem, comes from my observations of caring for both my grandmother and father as they were in the process of dying.

My grandmother's cause of death came from gangrene septic which was brought on by poor circulation. She refused to accept death until it was painfully obvious there was going to be no choice in the matter. From a phenomena perspective her house became very active and at times, presented a Victorian feel.

My father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and immediately opted for hospice, and also died in his house. He not only accepted his death, he embraced it and couldn't die fast enough to his liking. This was phenomena as well, but generally not as commonplace, though if found it moments.

For looking for evidence of a condition, Edgar Allan Poe did feel that something was going on, yet the symptoms of such may have been small and usually as one ages, people become more retrospective in thinking about the life they have left. Edgar Allan Poe died at age 40, which is usually considered around the normal mortality age, and also by my observation the age area when chronic conditions become evident.

In my poem, "Ryan's Psalm," I recount the death of Ryan Potter who did in the apartments across from work from alcohol poisoning, in December of 2008. Also in the group of row home apartments, were drug addicts who stole his personal effects off of his dead body so someone finding Poe fairly out of it could have easily swapped his clothing.

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