We often hear about how poor and destitute yet brilliant people were given meager funerals, barely recognized for their genius during their time. While many of these accounts may not be true (such as in the case of Christopher Columbus), others have been proven to be quite accurate.

One such funeral was that of gifted master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. His funeral, only three minutes in length, was so short, with almost no one in attendance, that he wasn’t even given a sermon. He wasn’t given a headstone, either. Though he was exhumed and reburied in 1875, and several poets were invited to attend, only Walt Whitman came to the reburial.

Poe, who likely drank himself to death in 1849, would probably have been stunned to realize that he has followers in the millions today, let alone awards named after him and millionaire writers citing him as their inspiration for their craft. These avid fans and followers of Poe decided to give him a real way to go in Baltimore, near where he lived, on October 11. And what an extravagant funeral it was!

Surely the several thousand attendees were far more than Poe would have ever imagined; and their garb would have likely surpassed even the poet’s own dark mind as well. Some wore t-shirts proclaiming “Evermore!” Others wore black armbands, widow’s veils, or top hats and tails.

The recreation of his own body would probably have delighted him upon seeing it in the redwood casket, delivered in style by a horse-drawn carriage. Actors in period costume and roles gave eulogies and commentary, and a funeral procession with bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace” was another main feature. Fans now say that Poe was given a proper burial. (You can see a video of Poe’s recreated body here.)

Though Poe’s real remains are still buried at a church in Southeast Baltimore where he was finally laid to rest, his commemoration is now complete as well. I’m thinking that if Poe really had risen from the grave to see the event, he would have much resembled Johnny Depp’s fainting scene in Sleepy Hollow (you know, the part where he pales, proclaims, “I…. saw him!” and promptly passes out). Of course, he would later have reawakened to an empty graveyard, in which he would have written about it, right?

Is a proper burial so important to anyone as to warrant a third burial? Maybe not for everyone, but in this case, perhaps the more death and dirt, the more burying and shrouded scenes…the better.