Cassadaga
A small Florida community founded in 1894 as a Spiritualist camp, which today has resident mediums and a hotel.
Practised and told of here
Best time: Winter and spring, when Florida is cooler.
Cassadaga was established by a trance medium, George Colby, after a spirit guide named Seneca told him to found a community in the south. It is the oldest active Spiritualist community in the south-eastern United States.
The camp
The Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association still runs a bookshop, a hall and a library. Mediums hold readings in their homes. Some say the community is a base for retired people who came for the quiet.
What scholars say
Sociologists see Spiritualism as a response to loss and as a religion open to women's leadership. The movement's mediums have also been criticised for fraud, and the community asks its mediums to be certified.
Visiting
The camp has a visitor centre. The Cassadaga Hotel has a reputation as haunted, which is a commercial draw.
A respectful visit to Cassadaga
Living communities are not a show. Ask before photographing a person or a ceremony, and follow local rules.
- Colby Memorial Temple Visit the historic hall.
- Camp bookstore Browse books on the religion.
- A guided walk Take the tour of the grounds.
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Cassadaga, Florida" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and ceremonies change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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