I was finally able to visit Westminster Hall Burying Ground and Catacombs, where Edgar Allan Poe is buried. Every Halloween, Westminster Hall holds a celebration that allows visitors to tour the church, catacombs, and graveyard after dark. This year it happened to be on Sunday, October 30th from 6 - 9pm and I was lucky enough to attend.
My friend, N, went with me and we stood in line for about an hour and a half before we were able to gain entrance. I wasn't very impressed by the entertainment inside the church and we missed a lot of the other events (i.e. a reading of the Tell-Tale Heart in the Graveyard) while we were in line. But occasionally an Edgar Allan Poe impersonator would entertain the people in line (he also gave a reading inside the hall). The tour guides gave a lot of detailed information and entertaining stories about the residents. I didn't realize that the church had been built after the fact, which is how the "catacombs" were created. I've driven by Poe's grave several times and I always note it to visitors, but I hadn't actually gone to the church or the site.
There was something very thrilling about being in the graveyard. People were waiting in line while we roamed amongst the dead under the stars. "Edgar" would walk around the graveyard, from time to time, and talk to people gawking at his grave. It was a little bit spooky, a lot of fun, and absolutely perfect for Halloween.
No comments:
Post a Comment