Beyond the Veil: A History of Spiritualism

Historian Katie Keckeisen will present “Beyond the Veil: A History of Spiritualism”. Keckeisen’s presentation intersects and expands upon many of the topics discussed in the Spirits at Stowe tour, such as people like the Fox Sisters and Victoria Woodhull, instruments like the planchette, and the influence of the Civil War. Keckeisen goes beyond these tangible aspects of Spiritualism and explores the meanings that Spiritualism had for individuals and society. Always controversial, Spiritualism represents the larger tensions in society over the changing nature of scientific evidence, understandings of the human body, and changing belief systems.