Lily Dale
Encyclopedia
Lily Dale is a spiritualist community of the Modern Spiritualist movement located in Chautauqua County
, New York
, USA. Lily Dale became renowned for Spiritualism when members moved the home of its American founders, Kate
and Margaret Fox
, to the town after it was purchased in 1927.
Lily Dale is a hamlet located in the Town of Pomfret
on the east side of Cassadaga Lake, next to the Village of Cassadaga
. Located in southwestern New York State, it is one hour south of Buffalo
, halfway to the Pennsylvania border. Lily Dale's year-round population is estimated to be 275. Each year approximately 22,000 registered visitors come for classes, workshops, public church services and mediumship demonstrations, lectures, and private appointments with mediums. Typical guest lecturers include John Edward
, James Van Praagh
, Dr. Wayne Dyer
, and Depak Chopra.
, which is located about .5 miles east of the hamlet and runs north and south to the cities of Dunkirk and Jamestown
. The Cassadaga Job Corps
Center can be seen across the lake from Lily Dale. Another very small lake, Mud Lake, is located between Lily Dale and Route 60.
to Lily Dale in 1916. This established Lily Dale as the home of Spiritualism in the United States, although other communities, such as Summerville, California, were founded on the same principles. On September 21, 1955 the Fox Sisters cottage was destroyed by a fire.
Lily Dale is a place of pilgrimage for many Spiritualists and others interested in the paranormal. A large population of mediums and Spiritualist healers reside in Lily Dale.
Lily Dale was the setting for "The Mentalists," a seventh-season episode of the TV series Supernatural
, starring the Fox Sisters as Good and Evil Spirits.
Chautauqua County, New York
-Major highways:* Interstate 86/New York State Route 17 * Interstate 90 * U.S. Route 20* U.S. Route 62* New York State Route 5* New York State Route 39* New York State Route 60* New York State Route 394...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA. Lily Dale became renowned for Spiritualism when members moved the home of its American founders, Kate
Kate Fox
Kate Fox is a social anthropologist. She is the director of the Social Issues Research Centre an independent, not-for-profit organisation . She has written several books.- Background:...
and Margaret Fox
Margaret Fox
Margaret Fox was an American Spiritualist, born in Bath, Canada. In approximately 1848, in Hydesville, Wayne, County, NY, the Foxes claimed to hear rapping noises, which appeared to emit from the walls and furniture, in their residence...
, to the town after it was purchased in 1927.
Lily Dale is a hamlet located in the Town of Pomfret
Pomfret, New York
Pomfret is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 14,703 at the 2000 census.The Town of Pomfret lies in the north-central part of the county, south of Dunkirk, New York.- History :...
on the east side of Cassadaga Lake, next to the Village of Cassadaga
Cassadaga, New York
Cassadaga is an incorporated village located in Chautauqua County, New York, in the United States. The village is located within the northeast corner of the Town of Stockton, east of the village of Stockton, south of and immediately adjacent to Lily Dale in the Town of Pomfret, and north of the...
. Located in southwestern New York State, it is one hour south of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, halfway to the Pennsylvania border. Lily Dale's year-round population is estimated to be 275. Each year approximately 22,000 registered visitors come for classes, workshops, public church services and mediumship demonstrations, lectures, and private appointments with mediums. Typical guest lecturers include John Edward
John Edward
John Edward McGee, Jr. is an American television personality and professional psychic medium. He is best known for his TV shows Crossing Over with John Edward and John Edward Cross Country....
, James Van Praagh
James Van Praagh
James Van Praagh is a self-proclaimed medium who has written several books on spirituality and spirit communication.-Early life and career:Van Praagh was born in Bayside, New York and is the youngest of four children...
, Dr. Wayne Dyer
Wayne Dyer
Wayne Walter Dyer is an American self-help advocate, author, and lecturer.- Early life :Dyer was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Melvin Lyle and Hazel Irene Dyer and spent much of his adolescence in an orphanage on the east side of Detroit. Dr. Wayne Dyer is a 1958 graduate of Denby High School;...
, and Depak Chopra.
Geography
Lily Dale is located on the east side of Upper Chautauqua Lake at an elevation of approximately 1325 ft. Its coordinates are 42°21'06" North, 79°19'27" West (42.351725, -79.324211). Its main route of access is New York State Route 60New York State Route 60
New York State Route 60 is a north–south state highway in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 62 south of the city of Jamestown in the town of Kiantone. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 5...
, which is located about .5 miles east of the hamlet and runs north and south to the cities of Dunkirk and Jamestown
Jamestown, New York
Jamestown is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the United States. The population was 31,146 at the 2010 census.The City of Jamestown is adjacent to Town of Ellicott and is at the southern tip of Chautauqua Lake...
. The Cassadaga Job Corps
Job Corps
Job Corps is a program administered by the United States Department of Labor that offers free-of-charge education and vocational training to youth ages 16 to 24.-Mission and purpose:...
Center can be seen across the lake from Lily Dale. Another very small lake, Mud Lake, is located between Lily Dale and Route 60.
Spiritualism and the Lily Dale Community
Lily Dale became the center of the Spiritualist movement when the childhood home of Kate and Margaret Fox was moved from Hydesville, New YorkArcadia, New York
Arcadia is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 14,889 at the 2000 census.The Town of Arcadia is on the south border of the county and is east of Rochester NY.- History :The town was first settled around 1791....
to Lily Dale in 1916. This established Lily Dale as the home of Spiritualism in the United States, although other communities, such as Summerville, California, were founded on the same principles. On September 21, 1955 the Fox Sisters cottage was destroyed by a fire.
Lily Dale is a place of pilgrimage for many Spiritualists and others interested in the paranormal. A large population of mediums and Spiritualist healers reside in Lily Dale.
The Lily Dale Spiritualist Assembly
The Lily Dale Spiritualist Assembly holds year round meetings and provides seminars on topics such as Mediumship, spiritualist studies and the paranormal. Well-known speakers such as Deepak Chopra, Dr. Wayne Dyer and John Edward have been frequent speakers at Lily Dale. This private community is home to The Marion Skidmore Library, Lily Dale Museum and Historical Society, the headquarters of The National Spiritualist Association of Churches, numerous residences, hotels, private bed and breakfast inns, a spiritualist bookstore and related shops. Printed programs announce events such as Mediumship Demonstrations, religious services, thought exchange meetings, Healing Services, among others. The town of Lily Dale has a Volunteer Fire Department, a private water supply, a cafe, camp grounds, recreational vehicle accommodations, picnic grounds, and a lake-front beach for sunbathing. An admission fee to the grounds of The Assembly from mid-June through Labor Day is aimed at managing numbers of visitors. Admission is waived on Sundays to allow for church attendance.In fiction
Lily Dale is the backdrop for a series of young adult paranormal novels by New York Times bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub, who grew up a few miles from Lily Dale, New York. To-date, the series includes four titles published by Walker Books for Young Readers: Lily Dale: Awakening, Lily Dale: Believing, Lily Dale: Connecting and Lily Dale: Discovering. They have been optioned for television by Freemantle Entertainment. Staub has also written an adult bestselling thriller set in Lily Dale entitled In The Blink Of An Eye, published by Kensington Books in 2002.Lily Dale was the setting for "The Mentalists," a seventh-season episode of the TV series Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
, starring the Fox Sisters as Good and Evil Spirits.