Boston in the Golden Age of Spiritualism

Book excerpt: The story of the nineteenth-century craze for communicating with the dead, with historical photos included. Wealthy John Wetherbee sought business advice through supernatural means. Psychic Fannie Conant attributed her restored health to spirit intervention. Grieving theater manager Isaac B. Rich wanted to contact his deceased wife. While the individual motives for belief varied, spiritualism flourished in Boston from the first rumblings of the Civil War until the early twentieth century. Numerous clairvoyants claimed to bring messages from beyond the grave at seances and public meetings. While many earnestly believed in the movement, there were those who took advantage of naive Bostonians. Determined to expose charlatans, world-renowned magician Harry Houdini declared the famous medium and Bostonian Mina “Margery” Crandon a fake. This fascinating book explores the complex history of Boston’s spiritualist movement.