Nevermore? Mysterious Visits To Edgar Allan Poe's Grave Declared Over

Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick Semansky/AP Patrick Semansky/AP

For decades, until 2010, someone appeared at Edgar Allan Poe's grave site in Baltimore before dawn on Jan. 19 — his birthday.

The mysterious visitor, who was never identified, would leave behind three roses and a half-filled bottle of cognac as a tribute to the man who wrote The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher and other classic poems and tales.

Last night, there was no visit.

So, as the Baltimore Sun tells us, early today:

"A tired Jeff Jerome, curator of the city's Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum, 'officially' pronounced the Poe-toasting tradition over. Having spent the night inside Westminster Hall [on the burial grounds], awaiting the toaster's arrival, Jerome declared that the furtive stranger's poignant tribute would be left nevermore."

What happened to the toaster? Who was it? That all sounds like a good mystery to explore.