Balti-Lore!
By Julie DiNisio
QuailBellMagazine.com
QuailBellMagazine.com
As a member of a family with many native Baltimore, Maryland residents, I'm pretty familiar with the old city, aside from my uncanny ability to always get lost in its winding streets. But really, it's a lot like every other East Coast city. Decaying, ever-emerging art scene, traffic. And, of course, urban legends. Here are some of the most memorable and chilling:
Black Aggie
When an innocent nurse was put to death in the early 1900s, a statue was erected in the Druid Ridge Cemetery to commemorate her and appease the sentencers for their mistake (or so the story goes). It grew in fame as mysterious occurrences began happening around it. For example, it was believed that if you stand in front of “Aggie” at midnight, her eyes will glow red and you will be struck blind. Her shadow is also rumored to afflict pregnant women with miscarriages. Perhaps all of these stories are taken more seriously as a member of a local fraternity was found dead in front of the statue. Due to all of the disturbances and rumors, Aggie was relegated the basement of a Smithsonian museum where she has far fewer visitors.
Poe Toaster
Despite the fact that this title conjures mental images of an Edgar Allan Poe themed appliance, alas, we aren't so lucky. But there is the story about the Baltimore man who annually visited the famous author's grave for 75 years, toasted Poe with a glass of cognac, and left the remnants of the bottle and three roses. This mysterious visitor, dressed all in black, made his trip in the wee hours of January 19, Poe's birthday. The unidentified “toaster” (or toasters, as it's been speculated that there is more than one) visited the grave from the 1930s to the late 90s. From there, it is uncertain what happened, whether he/they passed away or simply shied away from the growing publicity.
Westminster Church and Catacombs
In Baltimore's most famous cemetery, it is rumored that a whole host of ghosts restlessly stir. The church building and adjoining burial grounds (including catacombs) were constructed in 1786. But the city continued to work on the edifice well into the 1850s, moving about buried bodies, which were in many cases taken and dissected by medical students, to meet city ordinances. Some of the most ghostly events have taken place in the catacombs. Visitors have reported hearing anguished screams from the otherworldly residents buried there. Above ground, a ghost in period clothing was once witnessed and photographed at Poe's grave. Famous madwoman Leona Wellesley, buried in her straitjacket, supposedly follows visitors with her eerie presence and crazy laugh. This is not to mention the many soldiers and generals, famous in life and now in death, at Baltimore's most haunted cemetery.
Black Aggie
When an innocent nurse was put to death in the early 1900s, a statue was erected in the Druid Ridge Cemetery to commemorate her and appease the sentencers for their mistake (or so the story goes). It grew in fame as mysterious occurrences began happening around it. For example, it was believed that if you stand in front of “Aggie” at midnight, her eyes will glow red and you will be struck blind. Her shadow is also rumored to afflict pregnant women with miscarriages. Perhaps all of these stories are taken more seriously as a member of a local fraternity was found dead in front of the statue. Due to all of the disturbances and rumors, Aggie was relegated the basement of a Smithsonian museum where she has far fewer visitors.
Poe Toaster
Despite the fact that this title conjures mental images of an Edgar Allan Poe themed appliance, alas, we aren't so lucky. But there is the story about the Baltimore man who annually visited the famous author's grave for 75 years, toasted Poe with a glass of cognac, and left the remnants of the bottle and three roses. This mysterious visitor, dressed all in black, made his trip in the wee hours of January 19, Poe's birthday. The unidentified “toaster” (or toasters, as it's been speculated that there is more than one) visited the grave from the 1930s to the late 90s. From there, it is uncertain what happened, whether he/they passed away or simply shied away from the growing publicity.
Westminster Church and Catacombs
In Baltimore's most famous cemetery, it is rumored that a whole host of ghosts restlessly stir. The church building and adjoining burial grounds (including catacombs) were constructed in 1786. But the city continued to work on the edifice well into the 1850s, moving about buried bodies, which were in many cases taken and dissected by medical students, to meet city ordinances. Some of the most ghostly events have taken place in the catacombs. Visitors have reported hearing anguished screams from the otherworldly residents buried there. Above ground, a ghost in period clothing was once witnessed and photographed at Poe's grave. Famous madwoman Leona Wellesley, buried in her straitjacket, supposedly follows visitors with her eerie presence and crazy laugh. This is not to mention the many soldiers and generals, famous in life and now in death, at Baltimore's most haunted cemetery.
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