The Fox Sisters and the Birth of Spiritualism

Hydesville, New York. It is the mid-19th century, and the world is buzzing with the Industrial Revolution. Factories are being built all around us. Railway networks are expanding, and innovations like the steam engine are forever changing how goods are made and moved. And during all this growth in a small, seemingly unremarkable cabin in Hydesville, New York, something insane and extraordinary is about to happen.

TIMELINE
1847: On December 11, 1847, John and Margaret Fox moved into a new house, along with their daughters, Margarita, Maggie Fox, and Catherine, Kate Fox.
1848: By the end of March 1848, around four months after they started living there, the family began hearing sounds that were just plain weird.
1888: In 1888 at the New York Academy of Music Maggie exposed the mechanics of their raps denouncing spiritualism and implicating Leah and the deceit and with that came a rather complex fallout.
1904: One such debate started in 1904 and some bones were found in the cellar of the Fox family home in Hydesville, New York just as Kate and Maggie had claimed during their very first acts.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Hydesville is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 146 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy