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Speaker 1: Welcome to BrainStuff, a production of iHeart Podcasts. Hey BrainStuff, I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, here with a classic episode of the podcast for you. In this one, we step into the hamlet of Lilydale, home to a community of spiritualists who hold that the spirits of the dead are only a medium away. Hey BrainStuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. In 1848, two young women known as the Fox Sisters heard mysterious rappings in their house in Rochester, New York, and claimed that they were messages from the spirit world. Enough people at the time believed the sisters that an entire new field known as 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 1930, 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 hotbed 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. The literary and intellectual community of Chautauqua, where feminist foremother Susan B. Anthony hung out, was nearby. So, in a way, spiritualism fit right in. In 1880, the Lillydale Spiritualist Assembly was founded at the 18-acre Casadega Lakes Free Association Camp for Spiritualist Gatherings. In 1906, the whole community was renamed Lillydale. Now, more than a century later, it sounds kind of weird and witchy and campy, but Lilydale was incredibly popular in its early days. It began holding summer camps in the 1890s 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 1898 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 $ 100 per session, which is about $ 3, 000 today. Interestingly, the price for reading is currently around $ 80 to $ 100 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 attendee's ear. Mediums at Lillydale also used a slate on which spirits could write messages. You may be surprised to learn that candles and incense are forbidden at Lillydale. 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 sisters' original house was moved from Rochester to Lillydale, but went up in flames in 1955. Spiritualism declined in the 20th century, but Lillydale remained a stronghold, with summer camps continuing every year. For the past several years, attendance has also held steady, at 20,000 to 30,000 visitors going there in search of clarity and direction. A study published in the Review of Religious Research in 1980 found that only a small percentage of visitors at that time were going to talk to a dead family member. The study's authors came to the conclusion that the kind of spiritualism practiced at Lillydale was more like a religious sect than a cult, the difference being that sects are usually break-offs from mainstream religions, whereas cults tend to involve novel ideas. The study concluded that the mediums at Lillydale might be doing people a service by granting them a level of peace and acceptance. The researchers 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 Lilyvale today for clarity and direction, or they want to make contact with the other side, probably comes down to the individual. But since the 1970s, the number of mediums and the population of Lilydale have soared. Back then, the village was home to about 25 to 30 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 Lillydale has a year-round population of 250, 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 Lillydale Assembly can lease houses in the community. But back to the mediums. Now there are some 40 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 1898. One thing has not changed throughout Lillydale'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 is based on the article, Lilydale, Where the Living and the Dead Reconnect, on HowStuffWorks.com, written by Kristen Hall Geisler. BrainStuff is a production of iHeart Podcasts in partnership with HowStuffWorks.com and is produced by Tyler Klang. For more shows from iHeart Podcasts, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Speaker 1: Welcome to BrainStuff, a production of iHeart Podcasts. Hey BrainStuff, I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, here with a classic episode of the podcast for you. In this one, we step into the hamlet of Lilydale, home to a community of spiritualists who hold that the spirits of the dead are only a medium away. Hey BrainStuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. In 1848, two young women known as the Fox Sisters heard mysterious rappings in their house in Rochester, New York, and claimed that they were messages from the spirit world. Enough people at the time believed the sisters that an entire new field known as 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 1930, 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 hotbed 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. The literary and intellectual community of Chautauqua, where feminist foremother Susan B. Anthony hung out, was nearby. So, in a way, spiritualism fit right in. In 1880, the Lillydale Spiritualist Assembly was founded at the 18-acre Casadega Lakes Free Association Camp for Spiritualist Gatherings. In 1906, the whole community was renamed Lillydale. Now, more than a century later, it sounds kind of weird and witchy and campy, but Lilydale was incredibly popular in its early days. It began holding summer camps in the 1890s 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 1898 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 $ 100 per session, which is about $ 3, 000 today. Interestingly, the price for reading is currently around $ 80 to $ 100 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 attendee's ear. Mediums at Lillydale also used a slate on which spirits could write messages. You may be surprised to learn that candles and incense are forbidden at Lillydale. 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 sisters' original house was moved from Rochester to Lillydale, but went up in flames in 1955. Spiritualism declined in the 20th century, but Lillydale remained a stronghold, with summer camps continuing every year. For the past several years, attendance has also held steady, at 20,000 to 30,000 visitors going there in search of clarity and direction. A study published in the Review of Religious Research in 1980 found that only a small percentage of visitors at that time were going to talk to a dead family member. The study's authors came to the conclusion that the kind of spiritualism practiced at Lillydale was more like a religious sect than a cult, the difference being that sects are usually break-offs from mainstream religions, whereas cults tend to involve novel ideas. The study concluded that the mediums at Lillydale might be doing people a service by granting them a level of peace and acceptance. The researchers 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 Lilyvale today for clarity and direction, or they want to make contact with the other side, probably comes down to the individual. But since the 1970s, the number of mediums and the population of Lilydale have soared. Back then, the village was home to about 25 to 30 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 Lillydale has a year-round population of 250, 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 Lillydale Assembly can lease houses in the community. But back to the mediums. Now there are some 40 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 1898. One thing has not changed throughout Lillydale'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 is based on the article, Lilydale, Where the Living and the Dead Reconnect, on HowStuffWorks.com, written by Kristen Hall Geisler. BrainStuff is a production of iHeart Podcasts in partnership with HowStuffWorks.com and is produced by Tyler Klang. For more shows from iHeart Podcasts, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
