Are you frigging stupid? Why do you have to dig up the body of a member of a family you have no part of? You have no business digging up the dead.

If ghosts are real, I hope they torment you to madness.

Colin, Glad to see the literary intellectuals of Baltimore are paying attention to this argument (the preceding sentence was irony, in case you also failed to pick up on that.). I'm not surprised that you didn't catch the Shakespeare allusion at the start of my post, but I'm surprised the sports metaphor didn't make my position clear to you. I take it that you are not yet convinced that Poe was a Philadelphia writer?

And I don't believe in ghosts. The only torments I fear are the continual misunderstandings of, in the words of Baltimore's HL Mencken, "the dark, dense seas of morons."

I admire Mr. Pettit's diligence and devotion to his cause. But based on his reasoning, that the environs (and their inspiration) of an author during his or her most notable works, Great Neck, Long Island, should hold arguably greater sovereignty over F. Scott Fitzgerald's remains than Rockville, Maryland. At the same time, Sag Harbor would almost certainly have to yield Algren's bones to Chicago, the city with which he will forever be inextricably linked. And so on.

Which could obviously get very messy. Best to let sleeping corpses lie.

William, We all know that Poe's bones are never going to be moved (Baltimore needs Poe). But I'll happily go back to my books when enough people readily admit:

"Yes, Poe was really a Philadelphia writer. Baltimore just got lucky that he died there."

Before the comments get too heated, I want to note that Ed's post came at my invitation. So please focus on the issue, and avoid attacking Ed personally. His argument for moving Poe's bones is, I bet, facetious -- even if he won't admit it. It was also a master-stroke for getting publicity about Poe and the 200th anniversary of his birth. I still think Poe got his inspiration on Baltimore's mean streets, but I give Ed lots of credit for heightening interest in him.

Then, I would say:

No one in Philadelphia cares.

Seriously. No one gives a flying leap at a rolling donut. C'mon, Baltimore named a freaking FOOTBALL team after Edgar Allen Poe. The Poe presence in Philadelphia is a house so far off the beaten path that they have to bring in Elvira to read his poems for Halloween just to drum up interest.

"The bones won't be moved, but I'll make a hissyfit to give myself (but not Poe because c'mon, everyone and their mother's heard of the Raven and every high schooler's read the Tell-Tale Heart) attention."

Stop it.

Colin, Baltimore's football team is in Indianapolis.

But seriously, are you saying that because the Ravens are named after Poe's poem, then Baltimore deserves the mantle of Poe's Legacy?

Concerning the Philly Poe House, it gets more than 15000 visitors per year. That's about 5 times as many as the Baltimore Poe House. Elvira is in no way needed to bring in the crowds here, but your House could probably use her.

And why do you keep insisting this issue is about me. I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, but really, read my original piece on this in the Phila City Paper last Oct. Or just read my post above. And tell me how Baltimore really contributed to Poe's life as a writer and why those contributions were more significant than Philadelphia's influence. That's what the argument is about, not me. Or you. Or football teams. Or Elvira.

Re: Poe House: Cite your sources.

You can do all kinds of literary sleight-of-hand and distract people with your intent. You are ... ruffling feathers just to get your name out there. PLUS! All your credentials for writing this article for this website are "I'm a Poe blogger."

The most outstanding facts about Poe that most students remember was that he was a pedophile and a necrophiliac. He made a couple scary stories that the Simpsons have made much more popular.

Thanks to Dave Rosenthal for bringing this blog to my attention. As a student of literature and the creator of Poestories.com I'm looking forward to Poe's 200th anniversary celebration in Baltimore. I'm proud that my Poe web site has become an inspiration for students all over the world, not just the United States.

Still, I find people like Colin, who don't realize how much of a contribution Poe made to our society. The very fact that Poe was parodied on the Simpsons is proof of his influence. Stephen King was admittedly inspired by H. P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft was, in turn, was greatly inspired by Poe and had read all of his works by the age of 7.

According to thousands of emails I've received since 2005, the facts that students remember are- that he wrote "The Raven", "Annabel Lee", "The Tell Tale Heart", "The Black Cat", and "The Cask of Amontillado"; that he created the detective story; that he had a sad life; and that he deeply loved his wife, Virginia. Not one person has ever commented on where he lived or died.

Whoa, hang on, we need to set the record straight. It's been like three months and no one (not even the Baltimoreans who seem to love Poe so deeply) has stepped in to correct the post two above mine? Poe was not a necrophiliac, nor a pedophile (his marriage to his young cousin was not that young in his day, and it's unlikely the shared a bed in those early years). Is this Poe's legacy in Baltimore?

wait a minute- have you guys been to the poe house in sydney, australia?

"the dark, dense seas of morons"

i love it