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Fox Sisters Spark Spiritualism
- John and Margaret Fox's daughters Kate and Margaret performed rapping séances and launched a nationwide spiritualist phenomenon in the mid-1800s.
- They later confessed in 1888 that the rapping had been produced by toe and ankle clicks, admitting the shows were trickery.
Spiritualism Became Cultural Science
- Spiritualism reframed communication with the dead as a scientific pursuit and attracted both believers and skeptics in the 19th century.
- Despite exposed frauds like the Fox sisters, the movement persisted and embedded itself in culture and literature.
Rag Dolls and Strange Vandalism
- Reverend Elisha Phelps moved his family into a large Stratford mansion in 1848 and soon discovered life-sized ragdoll figures and chaotic vandalism that couldn't be explained.
- The family found clothing arranged into human shapes and a small suspended statue, inciting fear and curiosity rather than simple prank explanations.