Cassadaga

Book excerpt: Calling itself a "metaphysical mecca", the small town of Cassadaga, between Orlando and Daytona Beach in central Florida, was established more than a century ago on the principle of continuous life, the idea that spirits of the dead commune with the living. Though the founders of Cassadaga have passed on to the "spirit plane", the quaint Victorian town remains the oldest continuously active Spiritualist center in the South and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. While the community has often been sensationalized and misrepresented, this is the first serious work to examine its history, people, cultural environment, and religious system. After presenting an overview of nineteenth-century religion, the book explores the town's early years, distinctive architecture, ritual life, core beliefs, healing work, and view of the future. It also probes the extent to which Cassadaga has assimilated New Age beliefs and other trends in contemporary American religious culture. The study includes a group biography based on interviews with four older residents, plus a chapter on the colorful life of Eloise Page, a practicing medium in Cassadaga for more than forty years. It also features 47 photographs that guide readers through the town and portray residents engaged in various sacred and everyday activities.