My informant is from Maryland originally but moved around the country a lot growing up. The setting of this collection is my bedroom, and one of my roommates doing homework on the other side of the room. My informant lives down the hall from me and stopped by to say hello, which led to me telling her about the folklore collection archive. My informant told me about a legend from Maryland about Edgar Allen Poe.

Informant: Edgar Allen Poe is from Maryland and I’m from Maryland originally, which is how I heard this story. So every year on Edgar Allen Poe’s birthday, someone secretly puts roses on his grave. Last time I knew, like they still haven’t caught the person that does it, its like they miraculously appear every year. They like wear all black and secretly put all these flowers there and scury into the woods. Its a pretty known things, its like hot gossip in the state of Maryland.

Rebecca: How do you know they wear black if no one knows who they are?

I: The one time they have been seen on camera, its just an all black image that drops and runs.

R: is it the same person every year? Or I guess no one knows..

I: No one knows. You’d assume, but no one knows for sure.

R: How long has it been going on?

I: Since my mom was little, and my moms about to be 54.

R: Who told you about this?

I: my mom

R: who told her?

I: probably her mom

R: What does this story mean to you?

I: I really like Edgar Allen Poe and I like that his poetry is kind of dark so I think its cool that someone loves him enough to do that every year. I think its interesting.

My informant heard this tory form her mother My informant likes this story because she is a fan of Edgar Allen Poe and because it has a mysterious edge to it. The reason people tell this story is because they don’t really know who does it. My informant shares th story, but she has never seen anyone at the grave herself. This tradition also eludes to life cycle ideas because it is at the grave of Edgar Allen Poe, commemorating his life after his death.