The Fox Sisters, Leah, Kate, and Maggie, launched the spiritualism movement in 1848, communing with spirits that spoke to them by rapping or knocking on walls, floors, or furniture. They became a sensation, touring the country and holding seances for the rich and powerful. To this day, there is a National Spiritualist Association of Churches, with believers across the country. There's even one here in Philadelphia. Apparently Philadelphia was a hotspot for spiritualism, once having three Spiritualist congregations. Helena Blavatsky even lived in Philadelphia for a time.
Maggie Fox eventually confessed to fraud, motivated by "rage at her sister Leah and other leading Spiritualists, who had publicly chastised Kate for her drinking and accused her of being unable to care for her two young children." However, the movement had momentum of its own by that time.
The ruins of their family home in Hydesville, New York is now a park, open for tours.
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