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“The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey: Rare Drawings, Scripts, and Stories,” by Carol Verburg, was published in October and showcases the theatre work of the artist, whose ashes are interred at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton. (Submitted photo)

A bat adorns the grave of Helen Gorey, the mother of artist Edward Gorey, whose ashes are interred in the gravesite at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton. (Heath Harrison | The Ironton Tribune)

The grave of Charlotte Sophia St. John, the great grandmother of illustrator Edward Gorey, at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton. She shares a name with Charlotte Sophia, the character from Gorey’s popular book, “The Hapless Child.” (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Charlotte Sophia, the main character of Edward Gorey’s “The Hapless Child,” is named for his great grandmother, who is buried at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton.

Edward Gorey’s sketches, as featured in “The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey: Rare Drawings, Scripts, and Stories.” (Submitted)

Edward Gorey’s sketches for a Nantucket show curtain for “Dracula,” as featured in “The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey: Rare Drawings, Scripts, and Stories.” (Submitted)

The Gashlycrumb Tinies is one of Edward Gorey’s best-known works.

Book showcases Gorey’s theatrical output as Feb. 22 anniversary of his birth nears

Next month, fans worldwide will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the most famous resident of Woodland Cemetery in Ironton, and a new book is putting a spotlight on a major aspect of his work.

Acclaimed author and illustrator Edward Gorey was born on Feb. 22, 1925 and, though he never lived in Ironton, his ashes were quietly interred at the cemetery after his death at age 75 on April 15, 2000.

“The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey: Rare Drawings, Scripts, and Stories,” by Carol Verburg, was published in October and showcases the theatre work of the artist, whose ashes are interred at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton. (Submitted photo)

Gorey, whose pen and ink artwork was heavy on macabre, Victorian and Edwardian influences, was renowned creator, writing and illustrating more than 100 books, as well as being a highly-sought after cover artist for authors. 

Probably his most widely-known work is the animated title sequences for PBS’ long-running “Mystery!” series. It’s host, actor Vincent Price, greeted viewers and welcomed them to “Gorey Mansion” in his introductions to episodes.

A bat adorns the grave of Helen Gorey, the mother of artist Edward Gorey, whose ashes are interred in the gravesite at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton. (Heath Harrison | The Ironton Tribune)

Gorey has no marker at Woodland Cemetery, but his ashes are buried under the marker of his mother, Helen Garvey Gorey, who died in 1978 (She shares the marker with her sister who died in 1993).

While his mother also did not live in Ironton, she was buried at Woodland, as the city was the ancestral home of the family. The illustrator’s great grandmother. Charlotte Sophia St. John, who lived from 1811-1895, is the most recent member of the family to have resided here. She shares the same name with Charlotte Sophia, the main character of Gorey’s book, “The Hapless Child.”

Gorey’s interment at Woodland was done without announcement and really only became publicly known after the publication of author Mark Dery’s 2018 biography of the artist, “Born to be Posthumous,” which revealed the location of the gravesite (a portion of Gorey’s ashes are also buried at his Massachusetts home, which is open to the public as a museum).

Shortly after the publication of Dery’s book, the news became known here in Lawrence County after a reader of the book, Randy Blair, an Ironton native living in New York City, contacted The Tribune after being surprised by the information.

Since the information became known, Gorey has been added to the Lawrence County Museum’s Historic Cemetery Walk, which takes place each fall, while several videos online have been made by fans to document their pilgrimage to Ironton to visit his grave.

Charlotte Sophia, the main character of Edward Gorey’s “The Hapless Child,” is named for his great grandmother, who is buried at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton.

One of the biggest awards Gorey received in his lifetime was a Tony Award, for his costume design for his work on 1977 Broadway production of “Dracula,” which starred actor Frank Langella. Gorey was also nominated for best scenic design in that year’s awards.

The grave of Charlotte Sophia St. John, the great grandmother of illustrator Edward Gorey, at Woodland Cemetery in Ironton. She shares a name with Charlotte Sophia, the character from Gorey’s popular book, “The Hapless Child.” (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

And in October 2024, as Gorey’s centennial neared, a new coffee table book was released, showcasing the artist’s work in the theater.

“The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey: Rare Drawings, Scripts, and Stories,” was compiled and written by Gorey’s friend, Carol Verburg, and is filled with annotated scripts, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and more 200 images from the artist, including archival photos and previously unpublished artwork. 

Verburg, who collaborated with Gorey on more than 20 theater productions, details the artist’s prolific work in the field and how he devoted the last decade of his life to writing, designing, directing and producing original theatrical works, including both major productions to smaller shows in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Designs for the award-winning “Dracula” are included,” as are sketches and finished illustrations for props, costumes, stage design, posters and more from several other works.

The Boston Globe described the book as “An odd delight, much like Gorey himself” in their holiday gift guide.

The deluxe, full cover hardcover, with a velvet spine, is available from Chronicle Books and more information can be found at https://carolverburg.com/theatrical-adventures-edward-gorey, where signed copies are also available.

Edward Gorey’s sketches for a Nantucket show curtain for “Dracula,” as featured in “The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey: Rare Drawings, Scripts, and Stories.” (Submitted)

In addition to the new book, a campaign has been undertaken by the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust and the Edward Gorey House to persuade the U.S. Postal Service to honor Gorey with a postage stamp for this year’s centennial. 

The trust has a guide on their website, urging people to writ e to the postal service, as well as several resources that can be cited in letter writing, which are available at https://edwardgorey.org/edward-gorey-centennial-postage-stamp-campaign.

Gorey’s body of work continues to inspire creators. 

Actor Norman Reedus is developing a television series for AMC, based on Gorey’s 1980 book “Dancing Cats and Neglected Murderesses.”

Reedus’ deal is Gorey’s estate has allowed for an adaptation of his work. As part of the deal, the trust has pledged all profits from the show will be donated to animal welfare organizations, a favorite causes of the artist.

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