NJ museum's Lord Byron letter turns out to be fake

[August 01, 2011]  MORRISTOWN, N.J. (AP) -- It turns out a nearly 200-year-old letter donated to a New Jersey museum wasn't written by English Romantic poet Lord Byron.

The National Historical Park in Morristown received the letter more than 50 years ago from a banker and collector.

The letter's authenticity came into doubt when Drew University began planning a large Byron exhibit. The park's chief of cultural resources Jude Pfister offered the letter.

The Star-Ledger of Newark (http://bit.ly/qNW7q5) reports the university shared the letter with an expert at the New York Public Library. She found problems with the salutation, signature and content.

The letter appears to have been written 50 years after Byron's death in 1824. The author remains a mystery.

The museum is considering an exhibit on forged documents.

___

Information from: The Star-Ledger, http://www.nj.com/starledger/

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.