10/07/2026
This October, we are sharing macabre moments from Maryland’s past with the help of MCHC’s Museum and Library collections—starting with master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. You can’t dive into spooky Maryland stories without mentioning Westminster Hall and Burying Ground on West Fayette Street in Baltimore. The church is not only famous for being Poe’s final resting place, but for what else lies beneath.
Before the church was ever built, the grounds on which it stands were Westminster Presbyterian Cemetery, established in 1786. Initially, Poe was buried in an unmarked grave, but local schoolchildren in the 1800s collected “Pennies for Poe” to help fund a monument in the graveyard. When the church was built 66 years later in 1852, it was constructed on brick piers above the graves, creating catacombs below.
Visitors to Westminster Hall have noted some eerie activity—Poe’s ghost is thought to haunt the catacombs, as he died in 1849 before the construction of the church. Some report drastic drops in temperature, or even sights of a man in dark clothing. Whether or not you believe the ghost stories, this cemetery is a significant historical landmark serving as the final resting place for hundreds of people.
Browse MCHC's digital collections at www.mdhistory.org/digital-resource.
Edgar Allan Poe tomb, photograph by Hughes Company, 1941. MCHC Library, Hughes Studio Photograph Collection, 54756
Westminster Presbyterian Church and Cemetery, unknown photographer, ca. 1925. MCHC Library, 8193
