Spirit Boards and the Rise of the Ouija, Part 1
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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Canard Novelty and the Ouija Board
E.C. Wright, who made his living building cabinets and coffins, was in an office next to Canard Novelty when he first heard about the Ouija board. Another important figure in the mix was a man named Elijah Bond; it was Bond's sister-in-law that helped secure the patent for the boards. According to one version of this story, Helen Peters wore a locket with a woman's picture in it, which had the word Ouija over her image. A Smithsonian article from 2013 suggests that this actually could have been a portrait of the woman known as WEDA, which was the pen name of English novelist Maria Louise Ramey. She would have
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Transcript
Episode notes
The rise of the Ouija board in North America involves corporate intrigue, family betrayal, a lot of litigation, and very little spiritualism. Today’s episode covers how “talking boards” went from divination tool to big business.
Research:
- “Items Personal and Social.” Denton Journal. January 31, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/7111598/?terms=ouija&match=1
- “’Ouija’ Board Her Advisor.” Baltimore Sun. March 26, 1905. https://www.newspapers.com/image/371127794/?terms=ouija&match=1
- “Editor ‘Answers.’” Baltimore Evening Sun. August 23, 1911. https://www.newspapers.com/image/365492915/?terms=ouija&match=1
- French, Chris. “The Unseen Force That Drives Ouija Boards and Fake Bomb Detectors.” The Guardian. April 27, 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/apr/27/ouija-boards-dowsing-rods-bomb-detectors
- “Ouija Killer Sentenced.” Spokesman-Review. July 9, 1934. https://www.newspapers.com/image/567588953/?terms=%22dorothea%20irene%20turley%22&match=1
- Clark, A. Campbell. “Automatic Writing. V.” The British Medical Journal, vol. 1, no. 1723, 1894, pp. 37–37. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20226992
- “Ouija Board Maker Killed.” Evening Journal (Wilmington, Delaware). Feb. 25, 1927. https://www.newspapers.com/image/160190008/?terms=%22william%20fuld%22&match=1&clipping_id=99079163
- Goodman, Edgar. “Pedigree of the ‘Witch Board.’” Omaha Daily News. June 13, 1920. https://www.newspapers.com/image/738037975/?terms=%22Fuld%20vs.%20Fuld%22&match=1
- “Charge of Witch Hunting Enters Assault Case – Indian Woman is Accused of Attack With Hammer.” The Buffalo News. Oct. 26, 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/image/838894818/?terms=%22lila%20Jimerson%22&match=1
- Waxman, Olivia B. “Ouija: Origin of Evil and the True History of the Ouija Board.” TIME. Oct. 21, 2016. https://time.com/4529861/ouija-board-history-origin-of-evil/
- Cassie, Ron. “Not Dead Yet.” Baltimore Mgazine. https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/artsentertainment/the-dark-and-fascinating-history-of-the-ouija-board-baltimore-origins/
- “OUIJA!” The Norfolk Landmark. January 29, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/604944772/?terms=ouija&match=1&clipping_id=99064762
- “The New ‘Planchet.’” Chicago Tribune. April 3, 1886. https://www.newspapers.com/image/349738032/?terms=%22talking%20board%22&match=1&clipping_id=99068585
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- McRobbie, Linda Rodriguez. “The Strange and Mysterious History of the Ouija Board.” Smithsonian. October 27, 2013. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-strange-and-mysterious-history-of-the-ouija-board-5860627/
- “True Stories of the Supernatural, Told by Readers of the Sun.” The Baltimore Sun. February 14, 1909. https://www.newspapers.com/image/371064146/?terms=ouija&match=1
- “Lie is Passed to Ouija, and By a Woman!” Chicago Tribune. Jan. 25, 1921. https://www.newspapers.com/image/355093958/?terms=ouija&match=1
- Connoly, James P. “Ouija board boom on? Yes, Says Ouija Board.” Baltimore Evening Sun. May 18, 1944. https://www.newspapers.com/image/369642710/
- “William Fuld Made $1,000,000 on Ouija Board But Has No Faith in It.” Baltimore Sun. July 4, 1920. https://www.newspapers.com/image/372844631/?terms=William%20Fuld&match=1&clipping_id=99076192
- “Partners at Odds.” Baltimore Sun. Dec. 5, 1901. https://www.newspapers.com/image/365328757/?terms=%22William%20Fuld%22&match=1
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- Murch, Robert. WilliamFuld.com. https://www.williamfuld.com/index.html
- “The Ouija Craze.” Catoctin Clarion. January 22, 1891. https://www.newspapers.com/image/339101621/?terms=ouija&match=1&clipping_id=99064534
- “Ouija-board Will Rejected by Supreme Court.” Newport Daily Express. Aug. 12, 1938. https://www.newspapers.com/image/659566078/?terms=Helen%20Dow%20Peck&match=1
- “Former Beauty is Convicted.” Arizona Republic. June 11, 1934. https://www.newspapers.com/image/117191175/?terms=irene%20turley&match=1
- “Blame Ouija Board for Parent’s Death.” Bristol Herald Courier. Dec. 23, 1933. https://www.newspapers.com/image/585774218/?terms=irene%20turley&match=1
- “Girl Kills Her Dad to Let Her Ma Wed Lover.” The Independent-Rcord. Dec. 27, 1933. https://www.newspapers.com/image/528011403/?terms=irene%20turley&match=1
- “Aged Ouija Board Murderess Planning Insanity Defense.” Daily News. March 16, 1930. https://www.newspapers.com/image/412836335/?terms=ouija&match=1
- Rogers, Donald. “Fickle Ouija Board Deserts Its Victim.” Oakland Tribune. July 22, 1934. https://www.newspapers.com/image/106298034/?terms=irene%20turley&match=1
- Eberle, Scott G., Ph.D. “The Ouija Board Explained.” Psychology Today. May 16, 2012. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/play-in-mind/201205/the-ouija-board-explained
- Olson JA, Jeyanesan E, Raz A. “Ask the pendulum: personality predictors of ideomotor performance. Neurosci Conscious.” National Library of Medicine. Aug. 2, 2017. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5858027/
- D’Agostino, Thomas. “Helen Dow Peck’s Amazing Will.” The Yankee Express. Dec. 18, 2020. https://www.theyankeexpress.com/2020/12/18/341774/helen-dow-peck-s-amazing-will
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