Spirits at Stowe: Spirits After Dark (13+)

Our tours and lectures are unique, in that they delve into the historic, social, and political context of the 19th century and explore the role of spiritualism in the lives of reformers, suffragists, and Black activists.

WHAT IS SPIRITUALISM?

Broadly speaking, spiritualism is the belief that an individual’s awareness persists after death and can be contacted by the living. During Spirits at Stowe, we discuss the histories of multiple spiritualist traditions in U.S. history, and how these beliefs helped inspire, nourish, and connect politically radical individuals and communities from the mid-19th through the dawn of the 20th centuries—paying special attention to abolitionism, women’s rights, labor rights, and the intersections among them. We also specifically reference the Spiritualist faith, which was prevalent in the 19th and early 20th century and continues today, with various communities active.
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Spirits at Stowe considers spiritualisms as a tool of resistance among radicals and reformers of the 19th century. Through contact with spirits, radical women claimed authority to speak the unspeakable, especially the right to full control and autonomy over their own bodies and families.

Claiming power to speak out and to speak freely in a deeply unjust world was also a dangerous act, particularly for Black and economically marginalized activists. The tour tells a story of 19th-century spiritualism as a tool for maneuvering through challenges. It also explores the fraught atmosphere that people had to navigate during that time. Spiritualism offered the way to imagine an “other” and better world beyond the boundaries of an unjust and dangerous real one.

Spirits at Stowe deals with themes such as violence, sexuality, and reproductive rights.

It is not recommended for children under 13.

During the tour, the Stowe House is “set” to reflect a Spiritualist setting. It takes place later in the evening and lit by (electric) candlelight. Participants on the tour observe and engage with the materials of Spiritualism including a planchette on view, Isabella’s “Spirit Book” in which she recorded the names of those who she felt she communicated with through Spiritualism, images of Spiritualist books and photography to illustrate the images and words associated with Spiritualism, and quotes about Spiritualism. Tour participants will consider the possibilities, limitations, and contradictions of Spiritualist beliefs.