Year-round, not-to-miss garden events at Richmond’s Poe Museum.
A bust of Edgar Allan Poe in the Poe Museum’s Enchanted Garden.
The Poe Museum in Richmond originally opened to the public in 1922 with a celebration in the property’s Enchanted Garden, a shrine to Edgar Allen Poe inspired by the author’s poem “To One In Paradise.” That was the first event in what has become a regular slate of happenings dedicated to Richmond’s—almost—native son.
The ever-brooding poet had a deep connection to Richmond and the Commonwealth. Despite having been born in Boston, he was raised by guardians in the River City, briefly attended the University of Virginia and married his wife Virginia Clemm in Richmond in 1836. Poe’s mother was buried in Richmond’s oldest church, St. John’s Episcopal, and much of Poe’s literary work pays homage to the city of his youth, including “To Helen,” a poem inspired by one of his family’s friends.
“Our location in Richmond’s historic Shockoe Bottom is perfect,” says museum communications coordinator Tyler Minks. “This neighborhood was one of Poe’s main stomping grounds.” Throughout the year, the museum hosts a variety of events in the garden, including live readings every Sunday from June 3 through Oct. 28 and tongue-in-cheek “Unhappy Hours” held every fourth Thursday of the month from April through October.
The museum will celebrate the 210th birthday of its namesake with a celebration Jan. 19, 2019, from noon to midnight. Festivities are open to the public and will include live music—from local artists “directly influenced by Poe,” says Minks—as well as tours and talks with the curators. PoeMuseum.org
