Trip to Richmond, VA

Last weekend we drove up to Richmond to go to their VegFest. It was crazy hot, but we got some yummy food both to eat there and to bring home.

Before the VegFest, however, we made a stop at the Poe Museum. After the death of Poe's mother, he moved from Boston to Richmond and was taken in by a family there. They didn't get on well though--his adoptive father eventually disowned him--so it is kind of ironic that there is a museum here, and that it has the largest collection of Poe memorabilia in the country.

When we visited Philadelphia, we went to Poe's house, and we have been by his cottage in the Bronx (not open for visitors at the time we were there), so this was the next stop in our Poe circuit, so to speak.

The museum is not in Poe's childhood home. It actually occupies several buildings, including the "oldest house in Richmond."

Inside the buildings are artwork, items from his homes, copies of his work, and a replica of his grave, where people can leave messages--this is a custom at his actual grave in Baltimore.

If you look carefully, you can see the lipstick marks from when people have kissed the statue.

There are also two cats on the premises, who were quite friendly. One was named Edgar, according to his tag. The other was tagless. Poe had a cat named Caterinna.