January 19th marked the 200th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday. According to MSNBC, five east coast cities in which Poe lived and worked observed the occasion. Boston, Poe’s place of birth in 1809, held its first ever celebration and announced plans to re-name the intersection at South Charles and Boylston “Poe Square,” in his honor. Paul Lewis, English professor at Boston College, said that Poe’s relationship with Boston had long been strained due to Poe’s criticisms of favorite sons Emerson and Longfellow. Philadelphia’s Edgar Allan Poe National Historical Site—the last standing residence of Poe’s time there—re-opened its doors for the bicentennial, and New York City’s Bronx continued to offer tours through the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, which Poe shared with his wife, Virginia (who was thirteen when they wed, and who died in the house). Haunts of Richmond’s Sandi Bergman (aka Madame Sandra) offered up her body to the long-deceased writer during a Victorian séance in the hopes that he would take up another residency during the museum’s 2 a.m. ceremony. And in Baltimore, the city of Poe’s mysterious death, John Astin, the actor known for his “The Addams Family” role as Gomez Addams, hosted graveside services at Westminster Hall, the Gothic Revival–style former church and burial ground. “He’s at once a tragic and an inspirational figure,” Astin says. “He was presented with one disaster after another but notwithstanding these severe obstacles, he produced a great many works.” Baltimore events will continue throughout the year, culminating October 7, the anniversary of Poe’s death.