The Oldest Spiritualist Group in The United States
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Updated 2021.01.14
The Oldest Formal Association of those practicing Mediumship in the United States was formed in Philadelphia in 1852.
Hailing themselves as the Oldest in the World, the First Association of Spiritualists in Philadelphia began meeting in 1852 and formally signed their constitution in 1867.
The First Association of Spiritualists in Philadelphia, chartered in 1867, makes it the oldest in the world.
Spiritualists are part of a religious organization that practices Spiritualism.
Those who practice it, regularly hold gatherings to communicate with The Spirit World.
Lilydale of New York is commonly seen as the oldest spiritualist gathering, though Philadelphia's Group is the legal first.
Lilydale was officially formed out of the First Spiritualist Society of Laona, which started meeting in 1855, a mere three years after Philadelphia.
While Lilydale may be the oldest continual meeting of mediums, they are not the oldest official group. As it turns out, Philadelphia had their officiating paperwork first.
Lilydale didn't have their constitution together until 1893, nearly 26 years after Philadelphia's group.
Lilydale, and the Cassadaga Lake Association as they were called then, formed around the same time as Philadelphia's First Association and likely began meeting around similar time periods.
In that era, by some estimates, there were over 60 mediumship circles regularly meeting in Philadelphia and 150 or more in New York.
Philadelphia was a hot spot for mediumship all throughout the 1850's and 1870's drawing in experts from all around the world.
At that time, live readings were conducted in the Redding Terminal Market area, in Fishtown and surrounding communities, and all over Northern Liberties.
One of the most famous mediums and mediumship researchers of the time, Helena Blavatsky, actually took up residence in Philadelphia for a while, living in locations both suspected in Northern Liberties and verified in University City.
Most of the other mediums in the area today currently practice individually or in groups outside of their formal spiritualist church network.
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Sources: Book, Talking to the Other Side: a History of Modern Spiritualism, Todd Jay Leonard, Book, When God Taps You on the Shoulder, Gloria S. Bush, Lillian Cosby, Private Research, Collection 3089, Historical Society of Pennsylvania.