The Fox Sisters and Modern Spiritualism
September 22, 2024, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Join us for an foray into Modern Spiritualism and the lives of Margaretta and Catherine Fox for our first fall program focused on death and mourning. On Sunday, September 22 at Rose Hill Mansion, Tracy Murphy, Director of Historic Palmyra's 5 museums, will present this program on the Fox sisters and modern spiritualism. From their short stay in Hydesville to their seances in NYC, she will highlight the origin of spiritualism and the lives of those involved in it.
In the winter of 1848, the Fox family began to hear mysterious rappings in the Hydesville house they had recently moved into. Maggie, 15, and Kate Fox, 11, began to communicate with the source of the sounds, thought to be the ghost of a murdered peddler. They went on to perform séances around the country, became 19th-century celebrities, and brought about a new religion in spiritualism. Ms. Murphy will share their story and its connection to modern spiritualist beliefs. Murphy has been the caretaker and historian of the Fox Sisters Hydesville Memorial Park in Wayne County for over 25 years. The property is located just outside of Newark.
While on site, visitors can see the 2024 Rose Hill exhibit The Good Death: Illness and Death in the 19th Century.
Historic Geneva programming is supported in part by the Samuel B. Williams Fund for Programs in the Humanities. For more information about this program call Historic Geneva at 315-789-5151.
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