"Poe ain't comin'."

That's what they might have said in 1849 in Oquawka, Illinois.

Edgar Allan Poe had already made "The Raven" croak and "The Tell-Tale Heart" beat by 1848 but the Mississippi River town of Oquawka, Illinois, wanted Poe not for his poems and tales but for his fame as an editor and the prestige Poe would bring to the new Oquawka Spectator.

Twenty year-old Edwin Patterson, son of The Spectator's founder, was a Poe fan. Patterson wrote Poe in December, 1848, inviting him to the edge of the Midwest and the beginning of the West. Poe could make The Spectator the literary heart of the nation, Patterson hoped. Oquawka had high hopes for itself too. Civic pride and boosterism were bulwarks of 19th century small town presses.

The life of a magazine editor in 19th Century America could be prestigious as well as precarious. The toast of a town or the nation one moment or falling deeper than the House of Usher the next. Patterson and Poe corresponded for months, with varying degrees of enthusiasm on the part of Poe.

Finally, circumstances intervened. Patterson waited for a letter that never came. Edgar Allan Poe died under strange circumstances in October, 1849. Poe was 40 years old.

Patterson soon caught the gold bug and left for California. The Spectator continued publication until 1908.

This edition was written by Joel Ward and voiced by Joel Ward.

SOURCES

Might Edgar Allan Poe have made Oquawka a literary hub?
Jeff Rankin https://jeffrankin.medium.com/might-edgar-allan-poe-have-made-oquawka-a-literary-hub-6ea6e8c31091

What if Edgar Allan Poe had moved to Oquawka?
Rex Cherrington https://www.thezephyr.com/poequawka.htm

IMAGE

Edgar Allen Poe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe

Edgar Allen Poe
Encyclopedia Britannica
https://cdn.britannica.com/52/76652-050-F4A6B093/Edgar-Allan-Poe.jpg

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In 1907, a Fort Madison jeweler named Walter A. Sheaffer revolutionized the way people wrote. Frustrated with the messy and inconvenient fountain pens of the time, Sheaffer invented a self-filling pen using a lever system—eliminating the need for separate ink bottles. With just $35 and an idea, he filed a patent and set out to change the writing world.

By 1912, Sheaffer Pen Company was officially founded right here in Fort Madison. What started in the back of his jewelry store quickly grew into a global brand. Sheaffer pens became known for their craftsmanship, innovation, and reliability—earning a reputation that made them a favorite among writers, business leaders, and even U.S. presidents.

For nearly a century, Fort Madison was home to the world headquarters of Sheaffer Pen Company. Though production has moved, the legacy of W.A. Sheaffer lives on. His innovation didn’t just put Fort Madison on the map—it made an indelible mark on history, one signature at a time.

Episode was written and voiced by: James Lemberger

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Lean about Monmouth, Illinois's famous stoneware company.

Episode written by: Ann Tenold

Episode voiced by: Abby Zeus

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