Achsa W. Sprague (November 17, 1827 – July 6, 1862) was one of the best-known

Spiritualists Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (when not lowercase) b ...

during the 1850s in the United States. Primarily a

medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

and trance lecturer, she also wrote articles and poetry for Spiritualist publications such as the ''

Banner of Light The ''Banner of Light'' was an American spiritualist journal published weekly in newspaper format between 1857 and 1907, the longest lasting and most influential of such journals. It was based in Boston, but covered the movement across the US. The ...

'', the ''

Green Mountain Sibyl Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combina ...

'', and the ''People's World''.Vermont Historical Society
Braude 2001

Biography

Sprague was born in

Plymouth Notch, Vermont Plymouth Notch is an unincorporated community in the town of Plymouth, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. All or most of the village is included in the Calvin Coolidge Homestead District, a National Historic Landmark. History John Calvin Co ...

. An able student, she began teaching other children at age 12. In 1847, at the age of 20, she became ill with rheumatic fever and credited her eventual recovery in 1854 to intercession by spirits. Between 1854 and her death in 1861 she traveled about the United States and Canada, entering into trances before audiences and speaking with the voices of alleged spirits. Like most Spiritualists of the time, she was an abolitionist and an advocate of women's rights. Sprague's papers are archived in the library of the

Vermont Historical Society The Vermont Historical Society (VHS) was founded in 1838 to preserve and record the cultural history of the US state of Vermont. Headquartered in the old Spaulding School Building in Barre, the Vermont History Center is home to the Vermont His ...

References

* * * * * * *

External links

Description of the Achsa W. Sprague papers at the Vermont Historical Society LibraryAstral Magick Talismans Amulets Spiritual Healing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sprague, Achsa W. American spiritual mediums 1827 births 1861 deaths