Does the Community of Lily Dale Reconnect the Living and the Dead?

spiritualism was born. Based in European philosophic writings from previous centuries, Spiritualism was and is a structured belief that humans consist of a body, a soul, and a spirit. When someone dies, the belief goes, the soul and spirit live on in a spirit realm. According to a study published in the Journal of Religion in nineteen thirty, quote, the chief duty of these spirits is to look after the welfare and

progress of those on earth. Upstate New York at that time was already a hot bed of intellectual communities, so hot that it was known as the burned Over District for the nearly constant religious revivals that took place there. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, got his start there literary and intellectual community of Chautauqua, where feminist for mother Susan B. Anthony hung out was nearby, so in a way,

spiritualism fit right in. In eighteen eighty, the lily Dale Spiritualist Assembly was founded at the eighteen acre Cassadega Lakes Free Association Camp for Spiritualist gatherings. In nineteen o six, the whole community was renamed lily Dale. Now, more than a century later, it sounds kind of weird and witchy and campy, but lily Dale was incredibly popular in its early days. It began holding summer camps in the eighteen

nineties that were well attended. To put it mildly, Susan B. Anthony was one of the many who visited to check out the mediums. A journalist working for the New York Times stayed in eight and reported that a quarter million people went to the tiny town every year. The reporter noted mediums as a class are strange beings. At the time of his visit, mediums were charging a hundred dollars procession,

which is about three thousand dollars today. Interestingly, the price for reading is currently around eighty to a hundred dollars in today's dollars. He witnessed a few of the techniques that came to be associated with lily Dale, such as an ear trumpet that would rise from the floor and deliver a message directly into an attendees ear. Mediums at lily Dale also used a slate on which spirits could write messages. You may be surprised to learn that candles

and incense are forbidden at lily Dale. The buildings in the community are very old and very wooden, and it doesn't take a medium to know what will happen if there's an open flame. Well, actually they know very well what will happen. The Fox Sister's original house was moved from Rochester to lily Dale, but went up in flame in nineteen fifty five. Spiritualism declined in the twentieth century, but lily Dale remained a stronghold was summer camps continuing

every year for the past several years. Attendance has also held study at twenty thirty thousand visitors going there in search of clarity and direction, though this year visitor numbers were restricted to just eighty per day, with social distancing and mask rules in place in addition to other precautions. A study published in the Review of Religious Research in nineteen eighty found that only a small percentage of visitors at that time we're going to talk to a dead

family member. The studies authors came to the conclusion that the kind of spiritualism practiced at lily Dale was more like a religious sect than a cult, the difference being that sex are usually breakoffs from mainstream religions, whereas cults tend to involve novel ideas. The study concluded that the mediums at lily Dale might be doing people a service

by granting them a level of peace and acceptance. The searchers wrote, if spirit communication can be associated with madness, it's also possible to view the medium as a mental health resource. Whether people still visit lily Dale today for clarity and direction or they want to make contact with the other side probably comes down to the individual. But since the nineteen seventies the number of mediums and the

population of lily Dale have soared. Back then, the village was home to about thirty mediums in residence during the summer camps, and a dozen or so who stayed on to keep up the town year round. Today, under normal circumstances, visitors are welcome in the off season, and lily Dale has a year round population of two hundred and fifty, as well as a post office, volunteer fire department, library

and a playground. There's also a coffee shop, two restaurants, a few gift shops, some guest houses, a hotel and a museum. The National Spiritualist Association of Churches is located there, but only members of the lily Dale Assembly can lease houses in the community. But back to the mediums, and now there are some forty registered mediums and all aspirants have to pass a test consisting of three readings before being established in the community, and they are still the

main draw. Whether people are going in hopes of receiving or conveying a message to dead loved ones is totally personal and depends on their belief in the medium's abilities under normal circumstances. Those interested don't have to pony up for a private session either. There's a day use fee for anyone who wants to go and simply roam the streets and attend the public meditations and services, and you

can visit Inspiration Stump where services have been held. Since this year, all workshops, classes and some circles were held. Virtually one thing has not changed throughout lily Dale's history, the community has always emphasized sobriety, humility, and a decided lack of showmanship. They may appreciate a good pun, but they take their work seriously. They also emphasize that the future is not written in stone. Everyone has free will.

Today's episode was written by Kristen hall Geisler and produced by Tyler Klang. For more in this and lots of other curious topics, visit how stuffworks dot com. Brain Stuff is a production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.