Poe in Comics Exhibit Opens

The Poe Museum’s eagerly anticipated exhibit Poe in Comics opened with a preview event for donors and trustees on April 23 followed by a public reception on April 24. Now the first-ever museum exhibit devoted to Poe’s presence in comics and graphic novels is open to the public. This exhibit brings together sixty years of comic books featuring adaptations of Poe’s tales and poems, stories in which Poe appears as a character, and parodies of Poe’s works. In addition to the comic books on display are dolls based on comic characters and fantastic original artwork by major comic artists including Gahan Wilson, Richard Corben, Rick Geary, and Michael Golden. Even if you are not a fan of comics you will be impressed by the quality of these drawings. Superb draftsmanship and dramatic composition combine in works like Corben’s drawings for “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Spanish artist Isidro Mones interprets “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” with the accomplished technique of a seventeenth century Dutch master.

The show continues through October and is a must-see for all Poe fans and art lovers. In conjunction with the show, the Poe Museum has published a seventy-two page exhibit catalog The Incredible Mr. Poe with an essay covering the history of Poe in the comics by Randolph Macon College professor M. Thomas Inge. Many thanks to Dr. Inge for making this exhibit and publication possible. This book is available in our gift shop as well as on our online store at www.poemuseum.org.

Bicentennial Website Launched

Next year’s celebration of Poe’s bicentennial promises to bring scores of performances, exhibits, and other activities to the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Library of Virginia, the Richmond Symphony, the University of Virginia, and Theatre IV are just a few of the groups involved, and the list continues to grow. The Poe Museum and the Greater Richmond Convention and Visitors’ Bureau have joined forces to keep Poe fans updated on the latest bicentennial news with a new website, www.poe200th.com.  The website will be launched in August and features a clock counting down the seconds until Poe’s birthday. Events will be added regularly, so be sure to visit often.

Poe Enters the Digital Age

In the Information Age, data is more accessible than ever. The Poe Museum is a repository of information and artifacts, but most of these resources are only readily available to scholars who are able to visit the site. Soon, however, many of the Poe Museum’s objects and documents will be viewable to a global audience through the Internet.

As announced in the last issue of Evermore, the EMC Corporation has awarded the Poe Museum an EMC2 Heritage Trust grant to facilitate the digitization of the collections. With this grant, the Museum has purchased a computer and software and hired two summer interns to enter information about the museum collections into a computer database. The database can be backed-up to CD to be stored off-site so that the list will not be lost in the event the Museum’s computers fail.

The process is well underway, and the interns, Laura Graves and Laura Curzi, have been working diligently to transfer information from the antiquated card catalog into the new database. They have photographed many of the Museum’s pieces, and these photographic records will ultimately be included with the corresponding entries in the database.

Thanks to the EMC Corporation and the Poe Museum’s invaluable interns, the Museum will be able to share its resources with scholars and Poe fans around the world.

           
Poe Bicentennial Artwork Revealed

In anticipation of Edgar Allan Poe’s bicentennial in 2009, the Poe Museum issued a challenge to artists to submit artwork for use as a promotional image throughout the year. The artwork selection committee was not disappointed. A variety of entries arrived from across the United States. Among the work received were submissions from an entire class at Jones Middle School in Columbus, Ohio.

After much deliberation, the committee selected an image that fit the criteria perfectly. The winning image is the work of Bret Alexander of Arlington, Virginia. The reproduction printed here does not do justice to the beautiful detail and subtlety of the image. This is the work of someone familiar with Poe and his works, but it is also an arresting image which will reproduce well on posters, mugs, and other promotional materials. Other entrants’ artwork can be seen at www.poemuseum.org.

Garden Restoration to be Unveiled in October

On April 26, 1922, a small group of Poe scholars and historians gathered behind Richmond’s Old Stone House for the opening of the Enchanted Garden, the city’s first memorial to Edgar Allan Poe. Over eighty-six years later, you can be among the first to see the garden restored to its former elegance. After decades of alterations, the garden will be reverted to its original form. Visitors will now have the opportunity to see the garden as its founders intended. This historic landmark will appear much as it did when famous visitors Gertrude Stein and H. P. Lovecraft visited the Poe Shrine long ago.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Gwathmey Memorial Trust, the Poe Museum was recently able to begin the restoration process, and, with the help of Hampton Hotels’ Save-A-Landmark Program, the restoration will be completed this October in time for an October 30 Unhappy Hour. The landscape architect, Drew Harrington of Four Winds Landscape Design, has studied the Poe Museum’s early correspondence and records concerning both the original design and the later renovations. Among the correspondence was a letter from landscape architect Charles Gillette, who contributed to the planning of the garden and chose the fountain and statue. Early photographs of the garden have also proved an invaluable resource. Some discoveries were made during the renovation process, including the original fountain basin.

Harrington officially unveiled his conceptual drawings at the April meeting of the Poe Foundation Board of Trustees. In addition to the restoration of the original garden, these plans include renovations to the newer area outside the walls of the 1922 section. These plans include a new rose garden reflecting the line “Upon the upturned faces of a thousand roses, which grew in an enchanted garden” from Poe’s 1848 poem “To Helen.” The shady area north of the Exhibits Building will hold a black garden containing dark-hued plants and flowers, and another section will feature a variety of ferns. New seating will be added to quiet areas to allow guests time for reflection, and subtle signage will indicate which plants on display were mentioned in Poe’s short stories or poems.

This historic garden is as much a part of the Poe Museum as any of its exhibit galleries, so we are grateful to the Gwathmey Memorial Trust and Hampton Hotels’ Save-A-Landmark Program for helping restore it.

Come on, Get Unhappy

Once again it’s time for the weak and weary to assemble at the Poe Museum for a dreary evening in the Enchanted Garden. The monthly Unhappy Hours have returned for the season. On the fourth Thursday of each month from April through September and the fifth Thursday in October, the Museum hosts a different musician or performer. The season began with the April Unhappy Hour featuring a performance by Matt Koon Foundation, and the May event treated guests to a poetry slam by Slam Nahuatl. In addition to the headline acts, there were also dramatic performances of Poe’s works and special tours of the Museum.

This monthly event features free admission to the Poe Museum, guided tours, performances, light refreshments and a cash bar. Unwind after work with a glass of wine, tour the galleries in a relaxed atmosphere, and enjoy some of Poe's works through live performances. Unhappy Hours are from 6:00 - 9:00. All ages are welcome.

Exhibits Get a Facelift

Those of you who have put off a visit to the Poe Museum because you already saw it a couple years ago will now need to find a new excuse. In the last six months, all the exhibits have been renovated, and a new special exhibit has been installed in the Exhibits Building. Cases have been moved, lighting has been improved, text panels are larger and easier to read, and new carpet and flooring have been installed. Darker color schemes and lower lighting not only provide the appropriate mood for the subject matter but also reduce the damage caused by reflected light striking the objects. Never have the exhibits looked as good nor shown off the artifacts as well. 

Poe Raises the Roof

The Old Stone House is the first building visitors see when entering the Poe Museum, but it was already a Richmond landmark long before Edgar Poe was born. During his lifetime, the house appeared in an 1843 guide to the city, and shortly after Poe’s death, the dwelling was discussed in historian Samuel Mordecai’s Richmond in By-Gone Days. Mordecai was one of many who were not certain how old the house was, and rumors circulated that it had been built as early as 1607. More recently, scientists have been able to date the floorboards to about 1754, which seems a more likely date for the building’s construction. The house is downtown Richmond’s only surviving Colonial residence and a one-of-a-kind glimpse into the lives of the men and women who lived in Richmond before the Revolutionary War. Although it is owned by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, the Poe Museum has occupied the structure for over eight decades. Judging from the earliest prints and photographs of the house, it has changed little over the centuries, but sometimes change becomes necessary.

Recently, the cedar shake roof that had been in place since about 1970 deteriorated so badly that it needed to be replaced. The wood had warped and detached, and the ceiling was leaking. The copper flashing around the dormers had severely corroded, and the gutters needed to be repaired. Thanks to grants from several local foundations as well as the support of the Poe Museum’s friends and donors, a new cedar roof has been installed, and both the flashing and gutters were replaced.

Now the roofs on all of the Poe Museum’s buildings have been replaced or repaired as part of the Museum’s continuing renovation program.

Join the Poe Museum

The Poe Museum’s membership consists of a diverse group of people from several different countries who believe that great literature still matters. Our members uphold that Poe should receive the recognition he deserves as one of the world’s greatest authors. Each year our members support the Museum because they believe in the power of words. We at the Poe Museum are forever grateful for all the help our members have given us over the course of the past eighty-six years. For those of you who are not members or who are considering renewing a membership, these are the current membership and contributor levels:

Membership Categories

Virginia Teacher…FREE
Student/Non Virginia Teacher…$15
Individual…$25
Dual (or spousal)…$35
Family…$50

Contributor Levels
Raven Society ($100-$249)
Black Cat Society ($250-$499)
Dupin Society ($500-$999)
Gold Bug Society ($1,000-$4,900)
Israfel Society ($5,000-$9,999)
Eldorado Society ($10,000 or more)

 Each membership level has its own benefits, including free Poe Museum admission, gift shop discounts, and historic walking tours. For more details about these benefits, please contact Katarina Spears at 804-648-5523 or kat@poemuseum.org.

The Poe Museum Gratefully Acknowledges the Support of Its Donors
The Museum’s current projects are made possible by the generosity of our donors and members. Due to the overwhelming response to fund the Historic Collections Protection Project this project has been a great success.

Corporate and Foundation Donors
The Arts and Cultural Funding Consortium of Richmond, Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico
Cabell Foundation           
William Cage Library Trust
The Community Foundation of Richmond
Eleanor R. Morse Trust
EMC Corporation
Richard and Caroline T. Gwathmey
Memorial Trust
National Endowment for the Humanities
Mary Morton Parsons Foundation
Philip Morris USA
Stanley and Dorothy Pauley Memorial Trust
The Poetry Society of Virginia           
Robins Foundation                       
Susan Jaffe Tane Foundation
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities

Individual Members and Donors
Mr. Daniel Aben           
Mr. James A. Arnold                       
Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Arrington, Jr.
Drs. J.T. and M.L. Bayliss
Mr. McGuire Boyd
Mr. Richard D. Brooks, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. John Stewart Bryan, III           
Mr. Robert A. Buerlein           
Mr. & Mrs. Rudolph H. Bunzl
Mrs. Enikoe Burk           
Dr. and Mrs. Edward D.C. Campbell, Jr.
Professor and Mrs. John P. Cann
Mr. William E. Chambers
Ms. Ethel R. Chrisman           
Mr. and Mrs. Donald K. Cirillo           
Mrs. Catherine R. Claiborne
Mrs. Nell H. Cobb
Dr. Waverly Cole, M.D.           
Mr. & Mrs. Frederic H. Cox, Jr.
Mr. Christopher Culp
Dr. & Mrs. John L. Dameron
Mr. & Mrs. O. Kemp Dozier           
Ms. Elizabeth P. Dudley           
Mr. Gregory P. Dunsky
Ms. Rita S. Earl           
Mr. Holt Edmunds
Mr. Hugh Edmunds
Mrs. Jan Bruce Ehart           
Ms. Billie Paxton Einselen           
Mr. & Mrs. Art Figueiredo           
Mrs. Walter M. Franklin           
Mr. David Galbis-Reig                       
Mr. William Cabell Garbee, Jr.           
Mr. & Mrs. Peter McN. Gates
Mr. Norman George
Mr. Juel Goldstock
Mr. Stephen L. Guinn                       
Mrs. Mary F. Guthrie
Mr. Mahlon Henderson
Mr. & Mrs. Philip C. Holladay, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Winston Holt III
Mr. Robert C. Hufford
Dr. M. Thomas Inge
Mr. Thomas Jefferson           
Mr. Crawley F. Joyner III                       
Mrs. Margaret George Kaufman
Dr. Richard Kopley           
Dr. Joseph Kyle
Dr. Elizabeth Layman                       
Mr. Stephan Loewentheil
Mr. John W. Martin, Jr.           
Mr. C. Samuel McDonald
Dr. William I. McLaughlin
Dr. James McNally
Mr. Robert E. Merry
Mr. & Mrs. Ken Mitchell           
Mrs. Rose Marie Mitchell           
Mr. Brad G. Morse           
Mr. & Mrs. Marshall Morton
Mr. Don F. Muchow
Ms. Susan K. Murphey
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Norfleet, Jr. (In Memory of Mrs. Georgina Rawles)
Mr. David P. Page           
Mr. T. Jefferson Parker
Mrs. Cheryl Parks-Weidley                       
Mr. and Mrs. John W. Pearsall III
Mrs. Mary Bryan Perkins
Dr. Philip Edward Phillips           
Mr. J. E. Piper           
Dr. Harry Lee Poe
Mr. Oscar A. Pohlig, Jr.
Dr. Burton Pollin
Mrs. Georgina Rawles
Dr. & Mrs. James W. Rawles, Jr.           
Miss Marika Rawles
Mr.& Mrs. W. Taylor Reveley, III
Maj. And Mrs. George Reynolds
Mr. Klaus Schmidtz-Otto
Mr. & Mrs. John  D. Schulz           
Mr. Geddeth Smith           
Mr. J. Ronald Smith           
Mrs. Katherine Smith
Mr. & Mrs. John  W. Snow
Mr. Albert Stedman
Mr. Fletcher Stiers                                   
Mrs. Antoinette Suiter
Dr. Welford D. Taylor
Mr. M.G. Thalhimer
Mr. Dwight R. Thomas                       
Ms. Amy E. Thurston
Mrs. Philip M. Tinsley. Jr.
Mrs. Robert A. Walter           
Mr. Benjamin Warthen
Mr. Tom Williamson
Ms. Isabella Witt
Mrs. Cathy Wright
Mr. John P. Wright                       
Mr. & Mrs. Wesley Wright, Jr.           
Mr. & Mrs. Randy Wyckoff           
Mr. & Mrs. John and Mary Zeugner

Archived News >