‘Calling All Spirits’ Explores Spiritualism at the Rutherford B. Hayes Home

During the 19th century, Ohio was a hotbed of spiritualism, a practice that attempted to bridge the worlds of the living and the dead. This October, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums hosts an event that explores that era against the backdrop of the historic Hayes Home and the falling leaves of Spiegel Grove.

Dave Desimone, director at the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Black Point Estate and Gardens in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, will lead “Calling All Spirits: Spiritualism in the Victorian Era.” The program spans Spiritualism topics ranging from the rise of the Fox sisters to the nation’s first school dedicated to teaching spiritualism.

"By the 1850s this spiritualism movement sweeps the United States,” Desimone says. “There are mediums popping up in every community, from Buffalo to San Francisco, from Portland to Miami. … it’s just really anywhere that there are people gathering.”

During the Oct. 22 and 23 events, attendees enter the parlor of the Hayes Home, where they are invited to mingle over a glass of wine. Then, the doors open to the Hayes dining room for the main part of the program. The immersive experience will take participants through a mock séance that shows how one would have been conducted. (There will not be an actual séance or an attempt to communicate with spirits.) 

“We could do this program anywhere to be honest, it could be at a library or a church basement or a high school classroom, but it loses some of its impact if it’s not done in a historic house,” Desimone says. “If you’re in a historic house from the time period, you’ve automatically got the built in atmosphere.”

The “Calling All Spirits: Spiritualism in the Victorian Era” program is offered 5:30 to 7 p.m. and 7:30 to 9 p.m. on both Oct. 22 and 23. Because the event takes place in the dining room, seating is limited to 20 people for each time. Advance tickets are required and can be purchased via the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums website.

 Spiegel Grove, Fremont 43420, 419/332-2081, rbhayes.org

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