Behind the Scenes - The Poe Statue in Richmond, VA

Yes, there is an Edgar Allan Poe statue in RVA (Richmond, VA), but I made up the one in GLITTER, GLAM AND CONTRABAND.

In my Delanie Fitzgerald series, Chaz Wellington Smith, III’s infamous strip club, the Treasure Chest, is located on the corner where The Southern Literary Messenger once stood (15th and Main Street). While Poe was an assistant editor at the magazine at that location, the Treasure Chest is made up. Parts of the real building were preserved and are part of the Shrine at the Poe Museum in RVA. This is a must-see spot if you’re in Richmond. The collection of artifacts is vast, and the staff are so knowledgeable on the author’s life and works. My favorites are the “Unhappy Hours” held in the Enchanted Garden in the warmer months. They also offer walking tours of Poe’s Richmond. And if you visit, you must meet Edgar and Pluto, the museum cats.

I am fascinated with the Poe sites around Richmond, including his mother’s grave at the historic St. John’s Church (where Patrick Henry gave his famous speech).

Years ago, I read an article in the newspaper about time capsules in some of the monuments. I thought it would be interesting to have Delanie investigate, so I put a Poe Statue on the corner near Chaz’s business. He asks her to look into why someone is trying to dig around the statue. It turns out that there’s an online rumor of valuables hidden in the time capsule.

The real statue of Poe is located on the grounds of the state Capitol. The Father of the American Mystery is seated in a chair, and it was relocated to the other side of Capitol Square in 2017.

If you’re not able to visit, check out the Poe Museum’s website. There’s a wealth of information online. There are also lots of good blogs and podcasts about Poe’s time in RVA. One with lots of pictures is J.W. Ocker’s OTIS (Odd Things I’ve Seen). Gretchen Kelly’s “RavenTrekking” is also a good overview of the Poe sites.

Check out the adventures of Delanie, Duncan, Margaret, and Chaz in the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries wherever you buy your books.