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Cassadaga

Name: Cassadaga
Author: John J. Guthrie, Jr.
ISBN: 9780813081465

The South's Oldest Spiritualist Community

Edited by John J. Guthrie, Jr., Phillip Charles Lucas and Gary Monroe

Published by: University Press of Florida

Series: The Florida History and Culture Series

This book tells the story of the south’s oldest spirtualist community, Cassadaga, founded in central Florida over 125 years ago on the principle of continuous life, the idea that spirits of the dead commune with the living.

264 Pages7.00 × 10.0047 b/w photos, notes, bibliography, index

Paperback
9780813081465
Published: April 21, 2026

$29.95

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EPUB
9780813075280

(Ebook delivery via Leaf eReader app.)

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Description
Authors
Praise
Table of Contents

The story of a small Florida community that has drawn spiritual seekers for over 125 years

Calling itself a "metaphysical mecca," the small town of Cassadaga, between Orlando and Daytona Beach in central Florida, was established more than 125 years ago on the principle of continuous life, the idea that spirits of the dead commune with the living. Though the founders of Cassadaga have passed on to the "spirit plane," the quaint Victorian town remains the oldest continuously active Spiritualist center in the South and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. While the community has often been sensationalized and misrepresented, this is the first serious work to examine its history, people, cultural environment, and religious system.

After presenting an overview of nineteenth-century religion, the book explores the town's early years, distinctive architecture, ritual life, core beliefs, healing work, and view of the future. It also probes the extent to which Cassadaga has assimilated New Age beliefs and reflects larger trends in contemporary American religious culture.

The study includes a group biography based on interviews with four residents, plus a chapter on the colorful life of Eloise Page, a practicing medium in Cassadaga for more than 40 years. In addition, it features 47 photographs that guide readers through the town and portray residents engaged in various sacred and everyday activities.

John J. Guthrie, Jr. (1955–2000) was associate professor of history at Daytona Beach Community College and the author of Keepers of the Spirits: The Judicial Response to Prohibition Enforcement in Florida, 1885–1935. Phillip Charles Lucas is emeritus professor of religious studies at Stetson University and founding general editor of Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. Lucas’s books include Prime Time Religion: An Encyclopedia of Religious Broadcasting and New Religious Movements in the Twenty-First Century: Legal, Political, and Social Challenges in Global Perspective. Gary Monroe is a photographer who is best known for his long-term involvements with the old-world Jewish community of South Beach and his work about Haitian immigration and travels throughout Haiti. He has photographed lifestyles in Florida and around the world. His life’s work is housed at Emory University’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library.

“Invite[s] us to explore this unexpected religious community from a combination of perspectives as revelatory as their subject matter.”—From the preface by Ann Braude, Harvard Divinity School
“Finally, the important story of Cassadaga has been recorded, and these authors tell that story with eloquence and insight.”—Timothy Miller, professor emeritus, University of Kansas
“Enhances our awareness of the importance of the spiritualist strand in American religion.”—Robert Ellwood, professor emeritus, University of Southern California

“A fascinating look at Cassadaga, a Spiritualist community founded over a century ago just north of Orlando. . . . An objective and readable description of a distinctive and largely unknown faith in American religion.”—Library Journal
“Anyone interested in America’s religious past and present will find this glimpse into a lesser-known area rewarding.”—Foreword Reviews
“Does a remarkable job of detailing the town’s history, people and culture.”—Daytona Beach News-Journal
“Provide[s] depth and understanding to counter the fairly shallow popular-culture impression of Cassadaga.”—Tallahassee Democrat
“A worthy reminder of the religious pluralism of contemporary America and a sympathetic introduction to a movement unfamiliar to many scholars.”—Journal of Southern History
“Offers a splendid account of the neglected history of an important Spiritualist community.”—Florida Historical Quarterly
“A worthy tribute to this exceptional place.”—Quest Magazine

Foreword by Raymond Arsenault and Gary R. Mormino

Preface by Ann Braude

Introduction

Acknowledgments

1. The Context of Cassadaga: A Historical Overview of American Spiritualism
Bret E. Carroll

2. Seeking the Sweet Spirit of Harmony: Establishing a Spiritualist Community at Cassadaga, 1893–1933
John J. Gutherie, Jr.

3. On the Threshold of a New Age: Cassadaga as a Contemporary Therapeutic Community
Phillip Charles Lucas

4. "No Palaces among Us": Cassadaga's Historic Architecture, 1895–1945
Sidney P. Johnston

5. Keepers of the Veil: Life Stories of Cassadaga's Senior Residents
Ann Jerome Croce and Paul Jerome Croce

6. The Reverend Eloise Page: Learning a New Language, a Student's Perspective
Anne Barclay Morgan

7. Photographic Images of the Camp: Activities, Ceremonies, and Rituals
Gary Monroe

Selected Bibliography

Editors and Contributors

Index

Books

Authors

Journals

On The Site

Books

Authors

Journals

On The Site

Cassadaga

The South's Oldest Spiritualist Community

Cassadaga

The South's Oldest Spiritualist Community

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