Poe home unchallenged

Poe home unchallenged

RICHMOND, Va. — Baltimore’s claim to be the home of Edgar Allan Poe will remain unchallenged after a distant Poe cousin in Richmond determined now is not the right time — or even the right decade — to dispute the title.

University professor and writer Harry Lee Poe announced Saturday that relatives of the literary master of the macabre decided against attempting to settle competing claims from towns eager for a piece of Poe’s legacy.

“The conclusion of the family is that the whole issue deserves more consideration and that the family should take it up again in 2049 during the bicentennial of the death of Poe,” said Poe, whose great-great-great-grandfather William was Edgar Allan Poe’s cousin. Harry Lee Poe is president of the Poe Foundation, which runs the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond.

A decision to challenge Baltimore’s claim might have meant moving Poe’s remains from the city where he died in 1849.

Today’s birthdays

Actress Jean Stapleton is 87. Actor Fritz Weaver is 84. Actress Tippi Hedren is 80. Movie director Richard Lester is 78. Singer Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers is 71. Actor-singer Michael Crawford is 68. Actress Shelley Fabares is 66. Country singer Dolly Parton is 64. TV chef Paula Deen is 63. Singer Martha Davis of The Motels is 59. Singer Dewey Bunnell of America is 58. Actor Desi Arnaz Jr. is 57. Comedian Paul Rodriguez is 55. Actress Katey Sagal is 53. Actor Paul McCrane (“ER”) is 49. Singer Whitfield Crane of Ugly Kid Joe is 42. Singer Trey Lorenz is 41. Actor Shawn Wayans (“White Chicks,” “Scary Movie”) is 39. Singer-guitarist John Wozniak of Marcy Playground is 39. Actress Drea de Matteo is 38. Actress Jodie Sweetin is 28.