Cassadaga (a

Seneca Indian The Seneca () ( see, Onödowáʼga:, "Great Hill People") are a group of Indigenous Iroquoian-speaking people who historically lived south of Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes in North America. Their nation was the farthest to the west ...

word meaning ''"Water beneath the rocks"'') is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

located in

Volusia County, Florida Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an increase of 11.9% from the 20 ...

, United States, just north of

Deltona Deltona is a city in central Florida and the most populous city in Volusia County. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Monroe along the St. Johns River in central Florida. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 93,692. The cit ...

. It is especially known for having many

psychics A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, ...

and mediums, and has consequently been named the "Psychic Capital of the World".

History of Cassadaga

The Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp began circa 1875, when the Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association was founded by George P. Colby, from

Pike, New York Pike is an incorporated town in Wyoming County, New York. The population was 1,114 at the 2010 census. The Town of Pike is on the south border of the county. Pike is also the name of a hamlet in this town. History The Town of Pike was founded ...

, a

trance medium Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spi ...

who traveled to many different states, giving readings and seances. He was well known and in his travels was referred to as the "seer of

spiritualism 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) ...

." Colby attended summer Spiritualist Camp meetings at

Lily Dale, New York Lily Dale is a hamlet, connected with the Spiritualist movement, 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 southwest of Buffalo ...

, the town adjacent to

Cassadaga, New York Cassadaga (a Seneca Indian word meaning ''"Water beneath the rocks"'') is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The village is located within the northeast corner of the town of Stockton, east of the hamlet of Stockton, south ...

that would lend its name to the Florida community.Cassadaga, Florida Yesterday and Today by Elizabeth Owens, 2001 Colby worked with several

spirit guide A spirit guide, in Western spiritualism, is an entity that remains as a discarnate spirit to act as a guide or protector to a living incarnation, incarnated human being. Description In traditional African belief systems, well before the spre ...

s who would give him knowledge. One of his spirit guides was a Native American named Seneca, who had manifested to Colby during a seance in

Lake Mills, Iowa Lake Mills is a city in Winnebago County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,143 at the time of the 2020 census. History Lake Mills was platted in part of the northeast quadrant of Center Township in 1869. A gristmill had been built at t ...

. According to Colby, Seneca had instructed him to travel south to Florida, where he eventually arrived at a place called the Blue Springs Landing, near

Orange City, Florida Orange City is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 10,599. It is a part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area, which was home to 590,289 peop ...

. According to Colby, the area that Seneca had led him to was the same area that Colby had seen during the seance in Iowa. Colby had arrived in Florida in 1875, and on December 18, 1894, the

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

was granted to form The Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association. Later, on January 3, 1895, Colby had signed a

warranty deed A warranty deed is a type of deed where the grantor (seller) guarantees that they hold clear title to a piece of real estate and has a right to sell it to the grantee (buyer), in contrast to a quitclaim deed, where the seller does not guarant ...

to the association for thirty-five acres. The people who came to the Spiritualist Camp in the early days of its formation were affluent and well educated. The association later received additional acreage that expanded the camp to the current fifty-seven acres.

The Cassadaga Camp today

Today, the Camp features the Cassadaga Hotel, a central auditorium, The Colby Memorial Temple, a community library, the Caesar Forman Healing Center, a Camp bookstore, a welcome center, and the Andrew Jackson Davis Educational building, used for musical performances and gatherings.Cassadaga, Spiritualist Camp Guide Book, Calendar/ Directory Annual Program, 2007 -2008 Nearby is Colby-Alderman Park. The principles of spirituality that are taught by the people at Cassadaga state, "Spiritualism has no dogma or creed, just a simple set of nine principles to help guide our lives". According to the teachings of spiritualism, it is the "science, philosophy, and religion based upon the principle of continuous life". On March 14, 1991, the Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp was declared a U.S.

Historic District A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

. The Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp is a federal tax-exempt church currently governed by a board of trustees.

Popular culture

* Bright Eyes has an album called '' Cassadaga'', which features the town in the lyrics of the single " Four Winds". *

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...

's song "Casa Dega" alludes to psychics *

Gemma Hayes Gemma Hayes (born 11 August 1977) is an Irish musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments, including the piano and the harmonica. She is also a m ...

has a song entitled "Lucky One (Bird of Cassadaga)" on her debut album ''

Night on My Side ''Night on My Side'' is the debut album by Irish singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes, first released by Source Records on 24 May 2002 in the Republic of Ireland, 27 May 2002 in the United Kingdom, and 10 July 2002 in Japan. The album's release in No ...

'' * A lengthy chapter in

Stanley Elkin Stanley Lawrence Elkin (May 11, 1930 – May 31, 1995) was an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. His extravagant, satirical fiction revolves around American consumerism, popular culture, and male-female relationships. Biograp ...

's novel ''George Mills'' takes place in Cassadaga.''George Mills'' (NY: Dutton, 1982), 81-192. * Served as the inspiration for the town called Grange in the

Carl Hiaasen Carl Hiaasen (; born March 12, 1953) is an American journalist and novelist. He began his career as a newspaper reporter and by the late 1970s had begun writing novels in his spare time, both for adults and for young-adult readers. Two of his no ...

novel '' Lucky You''. * Investigated in the 2008 BBC documentary '' Around the World in 80 Faiths'' (Episode 5, Faith #43) * The town is briefly mentioned in the 2009 movie '' Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant'' . * Featured in the August 2010 episode of '' The Glades'' on the A&E Network * Parts of the town were featured in the film '' Dunsmore'' released in 2003 and directed by Peter Spirer. * The film Cassadaga is set in and took its inspiration from the town's history. *

Cherie Priest Cherie Priest (born July 30, 1975) is an American novelist and blogger living in Seattle, Washington. Biography Priest is a Florida native, born in Tampa in 1975. She graduated from Forest Lake Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school ...

's novel ''Brimstone'' is largely set in Cassadaga in the 1920s. * ''

Freakylinks ''FreakyLinks'' is an American science fiction series that combined elements of horror, mystery, and comedy. It aired on Fox from October 2000 until June 2001, for a total run of 13 episodes. The feel of the show closely modeled that of ''The ...

'' episode "The Harbingers'", aired January 5, 2001, was set in Cassadaga, FL. after being alluded to in a book called 'The Harbingers' under the alias "Valley Vista". * The

Amy Hempel Amy Hempel (born December 14, 1951) is an American short story writer and journalist. She teaches creative writing at the Michener Center for Writers. Life Hempel was born in Chicago, Illinois. She moved to California at age 16, which is wher ...

story “Cloudland” takes place, in part, in Cassadaga. * The town is mentioned in the Heather Graham novel ''Unhallowed Ground'' chapter 10, * Extensively investigated by

Jamie Loftus Jamie Bethany Loftus is a writer, stand up alternative comedian, animator, podcast co-host, and actor based in Los Angeles. She is known for her solo work, such as her one-woman shows ''I Lost My Virginity on August 15, 2010'' and ''Boss, Whom i ...

in the podcas
Ghost Church

References

Cassadaga, Florida: A Guide to the World’s Psychic Capital
* Guthrie, John J. Jr., Phillip Charles Lucas, and Gary Monroe (editors). 2000. ''Cassadaga: the South’s Oldest Spiritualist Community''. Gainesville, FL : University Press of Florida.

Notes

External links

Official website of the town and Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp

"Visiting The Psychic Capital Of The World"

Bill Geist William Geist is an American retired author, columnist, and television journalist. Early life Geist was born on May 10, 1945 in Champaign, Illinois. He served in the United States Army as a combat photographer with the 1st Infantry Division ...

, ''

CBS Sunday Morning ''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine television program that has aired on CBS since January 28, 1979. Created by Robert Northshield and original host ...

,'' December 30, 2007.
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