Lily Dale Assembly
Lily Dale : Located approximately 60 miles (97km) south of Buffalo, New York, on 167 acres (67.6ha) within the town of Pomfret, New York, Lily Dale was founded in 1879 as a community of Spiritualists—that is, of people who believe in and typically practice spirit communication. The community has always been tightly controlled so that only Spiritualists can buy houses there. (The land beneath the homes is owned by the community as a whole.) Few Spiritualists live in Lily Dale year-round, but every summer dozens take up residence there, swelling the population to 450. Their presence attracts thousands of tourists interested in communicating with spirits. To this end, the Spiritualists conduct private spirit-communication sessions; group séances; and workshops related to Spiritualism, out-of-body experiences, or other topics related to the paranormal.
Many of the visitors to Lily Dale insist that the town has energy vortices that affect their health and/or wellbeing in positive ways. Some also say that the woods around Lily Dale are inhabited by fairies or other magical beings, and most claim to have seen, heard, or felt spirits while in the town.
When Lily Dale was first created, tourists also flocked there to visit spirit photographers, who took photographs that appeared to show images of deceased loved ones. But after several spirit photographers in other communities were proved to be frauds, Lily Dale began discouraging the practice among its members. Another popular Lily Dale attraction that no longer exists was a cottage that was once the home of Margaret and Kate Fox, whose spirit communications in the cottage are said to have inspired the Spiritualist movement in 1848. The Spiritualists of Lily Dale moved the structure to their community from Hydesville, New York, in 1916, but a fire destroyed it in 1955. A museum in Lily Dale offers historical information related to the Fox sisters and other aspects of Spiritualism, including spirit photography.
SEE ALSO:
- the Fox sisters
- Spirit Photography
- Spiritualism
SOURCE:
The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Paranormal Phenomena – written by Patricia D. Netzley © 2006 Gale, a part of Cengage Learning