Emily Chan
In March 1848, two young girls living in Hydesville, New York, incited a trend of spiritualism with what started out as a harmless prank.
Every night, when teenager Maggie Fox and her younger sister Kate were asleep, a rapping noise could be heard coming from their shared bedroom.
The sisters claimed that there was a spirit communicating with them. Their mother asked the spirit how many children she’d had, and the spirit responded with the correct number of raps.
A neighbor had also witnessed the spirit at work, and soon, word spread that something strange was happening at the Fox house.
Shortly after the girls’ supernatural abilities were discovered, they were sent to live in Rochester with Leah, their older sister.
Leah decided to take advantage of her sisters’ gifts as a way of making some money. In November 1849, Maggie and Kate showcased their skills in front of 400 paying customers. Afterward, they began holding regular public demonstrations.
Many people criticized the girls for being frauds and believed they were just cracking their joints. But plenty of others were under the impression that a true spiritual phenomenon was unfolding in front of their very eyes.
Following the Fox sisters’ rise to fame, other people came onto the spiritual scene, declaring that they were mediums who could talk to the dead.
Those who were in the business of spiritualism didn’t just talk the talk. They also walked the walk by putting on fabulous shows to entertain their audiences.
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