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The following notices document the formation of the Poe Memorial Fund.
Baltimore Daily Commercial, Saturday Morning, October 7, Vol. I, No. 6 (p. 2, col. 4):
THE REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING OF THE TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION of Baltimore city, will be held in the Western Female High School on SATURDAY, 7th inst., at 3 o’clock P.M. A. Hamilton, Secretary.
(Note: The ad was apparently placed on Oct. 6, and requested to run twice. October 7, 1865 was the sixteen anniversary of Poe’s death.)
Baltimore Daily Commercial, October 9, 1865, Vol. I, No. 7 (p. 2, cols. 1-2):
EDGAR A. POE.
This gifted but unfortunate genius, whose name will always be cherished by the lovers of true literature, died in this city sixteen years ago the present month, and was buried in a private grave-yard attached to the Westminster Presbyterian Church, corner of Fayette and Green Streets. No stone, not even a crude stake, marks the resting place of the author of the “Raven” and “The Bells.” The sexton alone knows the spot where sleep the remains of Edgar A. Poe.
It is always pleasant to chronicle suitable memorials to the illustrious dead, and we are, therefore, pleased to learn of an effort by an appreciative class of our community properly to honor the name of the poet. At a meeting of the Public School Teachers’ Association of Baltimore, held at the Western High School, on Saturday, 7th inst., a committee was appointed to arrange for the early erection of a becoming monument over the dust of one whose early history was intimately identified with this city, where not a few of his former associates and friends still live. The movement, we need not add, is an exceedingly commendable one, and has our best wishes for its complete success.
Baltimore Daily Commercial, October 28, 1865, Vol. I, No. 24 (p. 2, cols. 1-2):
EDGAR ALLAN POE
A short time since we drew attention to an effort, instituted by the Teachers’ Association in Baltimore, to honor the memory of this gifted poet, by the erection of a suitable monument over his remains in the old Westminster church yard, in this city. We are pleased to observe the hearty endorsement of this movement by the press throughout the country — in illustration of which we refer out readers to the following generous article from Thursday’s Philadelphia Evening Telegraph. Trifling exertion in other cities would soon swell the contributions to a sum sufficient for the construction of a memorial at once creditable to the donors and ornamental to the city.
A MONUMENT TO EDGAR ALLAN POE
We are glad to perceive that an attempt has been originated in Baltimore to erect a monument to the memory of Edgar Allan Poe. Of the history of the life of that most gifted of all American poets, all our people are familiar, not only through a short and truthful record, but also from a garbled and malicious biography by R. W. Griswold. His life was one mass of contradiction: he was dissipated and generous, ennobled in his thoughts, luxurious in his ideas, yet followed by poverty to his grave. Whatever opinion may be entertained in regard to his personal conduct, no one can deny to him transcendent genius, vivid imagination, and talents of the highest order. — And yet this man, whose works are the ornaments of our national literature, whose fame is world-wide, whose name is a household word, reposes to-day in an unmarked grave in an obscure lot, with no monument to tell the traveller when he treads over the remains of this exalted genius. Had fortune cast his lot in Great Britain, had he been the subject of a kingdom instead of the citizen of a republic, he would have been the Poet Laureate in life, and lived in marble in Westminster Abbey forever after death, — Shall it be said that republics are ungrateful to their literati as well as their political officers? In monarchies the government honors the talented, but in republics it is necessary that private generosity should perpetuate te memory of talent. And we feel assured that, in the case of Poe, noble and munificent responses will come from all the literati of our land.
It is necessary, in order that we do our duty as a city, that the citizens of Philadelphia subscribe towards this movement. Poe was one of us, and was an old newspaper man. The press of our city stand ready to do their share of the work, and if others lend their aid, before long we shall see a stately monument mark the spot where rest the remains of one of our greatest and most original of authors.
Baltimore Daily Commercial, November 6, 1865, Vol. I, No. 35 (p. 2, col. 2, under “SPECIAL NOTICES”):
AN INFORMAL MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION OF BALTIMORE, will be held at the Western Female High School at 5 o’clock, THIS (MONDAY) P.M., important business, connected with the Poe Monument.
All teachers particularly requested to be present. A. F. Wilkerson, Secretary
Baltimore Daily Commercial, November 10, 1865, Vol. I, No. 35 (p. 2, col. 1):
THE POE MONUMENT. — We would remind all of our readers who feel interested in seeing such a monument erected over the remains of the author of the “Raven” as will be a credit to the city, that a most attractive entertainment is in store for them to-night in aid of the monument fund, in the form of readings at the Female High School on Fayette Street, near Paca. The readings will be by the graduates of the institution; and the list of pieces comprises some of the best selections we remember to have seen in the whole range of the language. So novel and delightful an entertainment cannot fail to crowd the fine hall to overflowing, and this is the more desirable, because, as we learn on good authority, our sister city, Philadelphia, has led off in this matter in a way which threatens to throw Baltimore quite in the shade. As this will never do, let every friend of the monument patronize this entertainment to the utmost.
Baltimore Daily Commercial, November 10, 1865, Vol. I, No. 35 (p. 2, col. 3, under “SPECIAL NOTICES”):
LITERARY ENTERTAINMENT
IN BEHALF OF THE
POE MEMORIAL FUND
A READING will be given on the EVENING OF NOVEMBER 10TH by Graduates of the Western Female High School, in the School Building on Fayette street, near Green, to aid in the erection of a monument in memory of Edgar A. Poe. Tickets of admission 50 cents each; can be procured at McCaffrey’s Music store, No. — W. Baltimore street, or from any of the teachers of the public schools.
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[S:1 - JAS] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Baltimore - Poe Memorial Fund (1865)