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1. I was surprised to learn the history of Cassadaga and the story of how George Colby was instructed to move there by one of his spirit guides during a seance.
2. This topic is very relevant and interesting to me because I do believe in mediums and the paranormal. I have had paranormal experiences myself, and have grown up watching shows about mediums such as "Long Island Medium". How mediums perform readings and get their information has always interested me.
3. The research I found most interesting was the statement from Gary Munroe, who explained that 85% of readings performed by mediums in Cassadaga are very accurate, specific and detailed. Normally, you hear about how mediums make general claims that could apply to almost anyone and are very vague, however the readings performed by mediums in Cassadaga are not like this. Most of them are very positive and involve specific details that mediums could have no way of knowing (might be difficult to search up).
4. From this research, I will most likely remember how George Colby was instructed to move to Cassadaga by one of his spirit guides, as I find this very interesting that this was how Cassadaga came to be the "psychic capital of the world".
5. I think perception/observation is the most harmful because many people trust their senses completely, and this can cause them to fully believe something without addressing any other facts or using critical thinking. I think patternicity is the least harmful because often patternicity can be debunked.
7. If I could pass on my knowledge, I think the most important thing to pass on would be the critical thinking process. I believe this process really makes one stop and evaluate the authenticity of something and the evidence. Completing the critical thinking process can allow one to think about alternative reasons for a belief, before deciding what they would like to believe.

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Description: This picture shows an orb captured in the Cassadaga Hotel.
Connection: This picture connects to the unexplained because the orb in the photo cannot be explained away or debunked, so it is thought to be an orb of a ghost. Applying critical thinking and skepticism, the source may not be credible and the results could be reproduced (an orb could be captured in another photo). Alternative explanations are that the orb is the reflection of light or it may be a dust particle. A flaw is we can not check the authenticity of this photo. A limitation is there is no way to prove what exactly the orb is (if it is a ghost or simply a reflection of the light).

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Description: This website explains how Cassadaga is a town of many spiritualists and mediums. This site includes a statement from author Gary Munroe, who explains that 85% of those who get readings done (by mediums in the town) connect to them and find them very accurate, specific and detailed.  Many also claim that there is no way the mediums could have known certain information.
Connection: This website connects to emotional connection. Those who go for readings are in hopes of connecting with a lost loved one, and emotions can blur their rational thought and make them truly believe they are connecting with their loved one. Faith and belief also contribute to the belief that they are connecting with who they are missing. This site also connects to appeal to authority since they are using a quote from an author, who could be seen as more of a trusted and knowledgeable person, making one trust and believe his statement. Applying critical thinking and skepticism, many positive experiences with readings may not be from a credible source. There are lots of personal assumptions and emotions that can lead one towards believing when receiving a reading. Alternative explanations could be that the medium did research on the person ahead of time. A flaw is that the sources of  these stories of readings may not be credible. A  limitation is only positive experiences with readings are included.

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In Cassadaga, dead men (and women) tell tales

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CASSADAGA, Fla. -- People visit this town to communicate with the dead. The residents of Cassadaga are Spiritualists who believe that life continues after physical death, and that mediums can be used to communicate with those who have passed on to the Spirit World. The religion of Spiritualism also embraces a belief in hands-on healing.

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Description: This website goes in depth about Cassadaga and its history, however, it also talks about a ghost. The ghost, named Arthur, supposedly haunts the Cassadaga Hotel. People claim to have seen Arthur at the hotel, and some say they smell cigars and gin, two things Arthur was fond of.
Connection: This website connects to perception/observation because of those who claim to see Arthur or smell cigars and gin. They are expecting to see or smell Arthur, and due to this their mind tricks them into believing they did. Random guests stories are not credible, nor do they have proof. Their personal assumptions (ghosts are real) are impacting them to believe that they saw Arthur or smelled gin/cigars. A flaw is that the authenticity and sources of the sighting or Arthur are unknown. A limitation is anyone could claim to see Arthur.

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While sitting on the long porch that runs the length of the Cassadaga Hotel, I have a good view of Stevens Street and Harmony Hall in the community of Cassadaga, Florida. Rows of rusty tin roof homes and ancient trees draped with Spanish moss line the street. It's the kind of old Florida snapshot that is quickly fading with each new Dollar General or RaceTrac.

Progress hasn't managed to trample through these old streets yet, but then again Cassadaga is no ordinary place. You wouldn't know it from its quiet streets this morning, but this small community attracts thousands of visitors a year and has been dubbed, "The Psychic Capital of the World."

The story of Cassadaga is strange and shrouded in mystery. Its unusual beginnings all started with a small boy, baptized in the frigid waters of Minnesota, and a rather pushy Indian spirit guide named Seneca.

The Peculiar Life of George P. Colby

George P. Colby was born in Pike, New York in 1848 to James L. Colby and his wife Elminia A. (Lewis) Colby. When George was little, the Colby's settled on 160 acres of land in Forestville Township, Minnesota. The area would later become known as Cherry Grove in honor of George's father and his orchard of cherry trees.

George lived on the farm with his two brothers and two sisters. Unfortunately, both sisters died at a young age.

During the winter of 1860, when George was twelve years old, he was baptized in a nearby lake so frozen over that a hole needed to be cut in the ice. Although no substantial connection can be drawn between the two events, shortly after George claimed to be visited by the spirit of his uncle who told him he was a great psychic and would later found a great spiritual center in the south.

During his teens George's mediumship further developed and included clairvoyance, spiritual readings, and healing. He was said to be frequently drawn into trances by personal spirit guides. As many could imagine, this did not please George's devout Baptist parents, and George was regularly punished and beaten.

In 1867 George broke from the church and began his life as a medium, traveling from state to state performing private readings and parlor séances. During his travels George would accept whatever payment his clients thought was fair, and at times he was forced to take on side jobs in order to survive.

Eventually word traveled of George's talent and he began to gain some fame as a test medium. It was reported that George would often speak with the deceased relatives of his clients and recall facts with amazing accuracy.

George is said to have communed with several spirit guides: his most prominent was a Native American named Seneca, who he claimed spoke to him during a seance in Lake Mills, Iowa. Seneca told him he was to go on a great journey, but first he must visit the home of T. D. Giddings in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

In Wisconsin George met a Spiritualist named Theodore Giddings and received further instructions. Seneca instructed him to travel again, this time to Florida with the Giddings Family to obtain land selected by the "Congress of Spirits" as a spiritualist center.

So George and the Giddings family went to Jacksonville and later to Blue Springs Landing. From there George left on foot into the piney woods of Volusia County. Just north of modern day Deltona he found the place that would later become the home of the Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association.

Colby was instrumental in acquiring the land for the camp and built a house there, but he did not live there full time. By that time George suffered from very poor health, but the Florida climate renewed him enough that he began touring the country again as a test medium, lecturer and spiritualist leader.

It wasn't until December 18, 1894 that a charter was formed for the Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp. Two people were vital in forming the association: E.W Bond and Marion Skidmore. Bond supplied materials to build many of the original structures in the camp. Meanwhile, Skidmore was known as "Mother of the Camp."

Both came from the Lily Dale Assembly, a spiritual camp in New York whom many original Cassadaga Camp members hailed from. In fact, it was Skidmore's idea to name the camp after the Cassadaga Lakes near the Lily Dale camp. The word Cassadaga comes from the Seneca Indians, meaning: "rocks beneath the water."

George visited the camp on and off for the rest of his life. He served as the camp's spiritual leader and lecturer. He put on plays, grew citrus in the area, and he adopted and educated several children during his lifetime.

Colby returned to Cassadaga for the last time in 1933 when his health began to fail. He was provided with a place to live, and the camp members saw to his needs. He died on July, 27, 1933.

Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association

Today, the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp is the largest spiritualist community in the southern United States and registered as a non-profit organization governed by a board of trustees. Their web site explains that although the term "camp" is used there are no camping facilities on the property.

The association describes itself as community consisting of "approximately 57 acres with 55 residences." Those who live in the town have chosen "to share in a community of like-minded people where they can live, worship and work in harmony with their beliefs."

The camp's mediums, healers and members are all required to follow the association's by-laws, rules and regulations. Although people can purchase homes within the camp, the association maintains ownership of the land and homeowners are generally camp members. The camp was designated a historic district on the National Register Of Historic Places in 1991.

The community offers a number of activities including church services, classes on meditation and instruction on spiritualism, spiritual counseling, historic tours, and psychic readings.

The camp's main building is the Andrew Jackson Davis Building, which at one time served as the camp's recreation hall and now the camp's bookstore and information center. Other buildings of the association include Harmony Hall, Brigham Hall, the Caesar Forman Healing Center, the Colby Memorial Temple, and the Summerland House (which houses the camp's offices).

The Cassadaga Hotel

It is important to note that the Cassadaga hotel is no longer associated with the Spiritualist Camp. The hotel we see today - although historic in its own right - is also not the original hotel.

The first hotel, owned by an Emma J. Huff, burned to the ground on Christmas Night 1926. The camp began reconstruction of the hotel the following year, and it was completed in 1928.

However, during the Great Depression the camp lost ownership of the hotel, and it was sold to private owners. During the 1990s it was sold again and renovated. The hotel now includes Sinatra's Restaurant and a coffee bar. Psychic readings, seances and meditation areas are provided in house. The hotel also claims to be haunted by "friendly spirits," and advertises a "truly unique experience."

One of the most popular ghost stories is the hotel's resident ghost, Arthur. The cheery ghost of Irish descent is said to have resided in the hotel during his life. He was known to drag a chair to the end of the hall to look out the window. Hotel guests have claimed to have seen brief glimpses of Arthur at the end of the hall or caught a lingering smell of gin and cigars, of which they say he was fond.
The Ann Stevens House
The Ann Stevens House is a historical home, located just down the street from the Cassadaga Hotel. It has a long history of housing camp visitors. The house was built in 1895 by Ann Stevens, a wealthy winter camp visitor. She acquired the property directly from George Colby and helped fund his lecture tours.

Stevens also served as director of the camp association for several years and ran a boarding house for visitors. Today the house is a popular 10-room bed and breakfast. Stevens Street, one of the main roads passing through the heart of the Cassadaga, is named after Ann.

Spirits of Cassadaga

Some believe that Cassadaga exists within a kind of "spiritual vortex," where the veil between our world and spirit world is thin and ragged. With a neighborhood that boasts so many psychics, seers and ghosts, you may be inclined to cast off this supernatural Mayberry as another cheap Florida attraction. But I urge you to take another look before you go as you may catch a glimpse of something much more significant.

This timeless place is home to many serious spiritualists, who welcome visitors, but at the same time demand their religious beliefs be respected. It's a community that refuses to allow their home to fade away as so many others have before it. And it's that perseverance that makes Cassadaga a truly remarkable place.

If you are looking for a unique Florida experience, rich with mystery and historic wealth, stop by! You will find the true spirits of Cassadaga are not the dead but a thriving community of people, fiercely dedicated to each other, their religion and historical identity.

For information on local Cassadaga events or about the Spiritualist Camp, please visit the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Official Website: http://www.cassadaga.org/

For information or to book a room at the Cassadaga Hotel visit their website at: http://www.cassadagahotel.net/ both include calendars of local events.

For information or to book a room at the Ann Stevens House please visit their website at: http://annstevenshouse.com/

Sources:

Cassadaga, Florida: Yesterday and Today (5th Edition, Revised) By Elizabeth Owens, 2015

The Ann Stevens House Official Website: http://annstevenshouse.com/

Haunted Places - The Cassadaga Hotel Cassadaga, Florida: http://joelmandre.com/haunted-places-the-cassadaga-hotel-cassadaga-florida/

Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Official Website: http://www.cassadaga.org/

Cassadaga Hotel Official Website: http://www.cassadagahotel.net/

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The True Spirit of Cassadaga - Florida History - Medium

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While sitting on the long porch that runs the length of the Cassadaga Hotel, I have a good view of Stevens Street and Harmony Hall in the community of Cassadaga, Florida. Rows of rusty tin roof homes and ancient trees draped with Spanish moss line the street.

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Description: This video explains the history of the Cassadaga spiritualist camp. The video describes how famous trance medium George P. Colby was instructed by one of his spirit guides to move to Cassadaga during a seance. He was told to go to bring spiritualism to Florida, and to look for a place with rolling hills and linked lakes.
Connection: This video connects to appeal to authority because it is using a famous medium and his experience to prove that Cassadaga really is a town full of mediums and spiritualism. Applying critical thinking and skepticism, the source is credible, however, the results can't be reproduced, and one simply has to believe that Colby was told by his spirit guide to move without any evidence. A flaw within this video is that there is no evidence Colby was actually instructed to move here. A limitation is there is only one story (Colby's) to back up claims that the town really is the "psychic capital of the world".

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Not For Skeptics, The Florida Town Full Of Mediums And Spirits: Cassadaga

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Description: This website has a few stories from people who visited and had experiences at the "Devil's Chair" in Cassadaga. One person claims to have seen dark figures in the shadows.
Connection: This website connects to perception/observation. The dark figures seen may have been something else, but because it was so dark the group may have perceived it as ghostly figures because that is what they were expecting to see. Applying critical thinking and skepticism, this source is not credible as it is a random person, and they may have been impacted by their own personal assumptions and emotions that caused them to perceive what they saw as ghostly figures. An alternative explanation would be that the group thought they saw ghostly figures, but it was actually real people or objects that looked like ghosts. A flaw within this website is that the authenticity of these sightings is unknown. A limitation within this website is anyone can submit their own stories.

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Weird Florida

The Devil's Chair

Many of the original Cassadaga spiritualists are buried about a mile up the road in the Lake Helen cemetery. Each Halloween, guards must be posted at the cemetery to ward off outside pranksters and curiosity seekers looking for goblins. One of the big evil attractions at the cemetery has always been the sinister "Devil's Chair."

According to the stories, if you sit in this big, brick chair at midnight, the Devil will communicate to you. The Prince of Darkness also enjoys a cold beer once in awhile, for I'm told that if you place an unopened can of beer on the chair it will be empty the next morning. He's probably a pretty thirsty fellow after working in all that fire and brimstone.

I went to see the chair and thought it looked more like a big brick barbeque pit sitting next to a grave. Actually, there are three such brick chairs, so it is a little confusing trying to figure out which is El Diablo's. I sat in all of them, but I didn't hear the Devil say anything...maybe because it was broad daylight, or because I didn't leave him a beer.

When it comes to Cassadaga, Louis Gates is not only a medium; he's a regular historian and folklorist. I knew he would know about the Devil's Chair. He laughed as he began telling me the truth behind the legend. "There's nothing to it, kids started that story. The real story goes back to a man who lost his wife, it was a quick death and unexpected, this was back in the twenties. She was buried in the cemetery, and he would walk there each day and sit beside her grave. The man had arthritis real bad in his legs and the walk was hard on him. He needed something to sit on, so he built that big, brick chair so he could rest beside his wife's grave. There are all kinds of stories, how if you sit in it the Devil will talk to you...it's just a story...it has nothing to do with the Devil."

They Could Hear Voices
There is a big stone chair in Cassadaga. If you sit in this chair at midnight the Devil will talk to you. I know someone who went there and they said they could hear voices in their head but when they got up out of the chair the voices went away. If you put a can of beer on the grave next to the chair it will be empty in the morning and the top will still be sealed. Now how is that possible? But I know someone who did it and the next morning the can was empty. -deathvader

Dark Figures Lurking
Go to the Lake Helen cemetery just down the road two miles from Cassadaga. Up on the hill in the middle of the cemetery you will see a large brick chair with arms. This is the Devil's Chair and if you sit in it he will appear. We went out there at night but no one would sit in it because we saw some dark figures lurking in the shadows. We did not know if it was just some kids or something else. -thestetsonkid

Saw Some Strange People
Some students from Stetson went there on Halloween night but they said they could not get into the cemetery because the road was blocked by some strange people. They said the people were mediums from Cassadaga and were there talking with the dead. -Kim S
Weird Florida

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Weird Florida The Devil's Chair Many of the original Cassadaga spiritualists are buried about a mile up the road in the Lake Helen cemetery. Each Halloween, guards must be posted at the cemetery to ward off outside pranksters and curiosity seekers looking for goblins.

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Description: This is a picture taken in Cassadaga. In this photo, you can faintly see a ghostly figure, which looks to be a girl or woman wearing a dress.
Connection: This picture connects to patternicity. Although you can see a ghostly figure, this may just be a pattern that looks like a ghost. Lighting in the picture or even objects in the background may create a pattern that ends up looking like a ghost. Applying critical thinking, patternicity could be seen as a reason for belief. The source of this photo is not credible as the photographer is unknown, and may have been a random person or someone who edited the ghost in. An alternative explanation could be that the figure seen is simply due to objects in the background or lighting, or that someone edited the figure in. A flaw within this picture is that you cannot check the credibility of the source of the picture, or find who took it. A limitation is that you cannot tell if the ghostly figure seen was edited into the picture.

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Description: In a cemetery in Cassadaga, there is a chair, called the "Devil's chair". There is a legend that states if you sit in the chair at midnight, the Devil will speak to you or even appear. The legend also states that if you leave an unopened can of beer on the chair, it will be found empty in the morning. This deliberately creates mystery.
Connection: This picture connects to the unexplained. Those who visit the chair and experience something cannot explain their experience, so they simply believe they must have come into contact with the Devil. Applying critical thinking and skepticism, there is not much evidence, besides peoples' personal stories, that support the claim that the devil visits this chair. The sources of personal experiences here aren't credible as they most likely have their own personal assumptions, emotions, and biases (such as religious beliefs, etc.) that push them towards believing.

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Description: This video describes a few misconceptions about Cassadaga, and also explains that many of the residents there are mediums and healers. These residents offer things such as readings, which attract many believers and those who are trying to get in contact with certain spirits, such as a lost loved one.
Connection: This video connects to emotional connection. Those who are visiting the town for a reading in hopes to contact a lost loved one are experiencing strong emotions that can blur their rational thought. Their emotions make them want to believe that what they are hearing from the reading is truly their loved one coming through, and faith and belief also convince them. Applying critical thinking and skepticism, emotional connection could be seen as a reason for belief. There are lots of personal emotions that could impact someone during a reading and make them believe that the reading is real. Alternative explanations could be that the medium researched the family member ahead of time for facts about them. A flaw within this video is that no one is checking the credibility of the mediums who performed the readings. A limitation is that most readings described are positive experiences that prove that mediums are real.

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After 125 years, residents say the spirits remain strong at Cassadaga

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Description: This video describes Cassadaga, its history, and includes a few interesting stories and facts about the community. During a seance, George P. Colby (a famous trance medium) was instructed to move to Cassadaga. There, he established a spiritualist camp. Many visitors describe feeling an unusual energy when they are there. The town is a popular spot to hunt for paranormal activity. Orbs are often captured in photos.
Connection: This video connects to the unexplained. The video connects to the unexplained because ghosts and paranormal activity still cannot be explained, so many simply explain weird happenings as paranormal activity. The belief of this is convinced by faith and belief. Applying critical thinking and skepticism, there is not much evidence in this video to support the claim that lots of paranormal activity takes place within this town. The sources of stories that prove the paranormal activity may not be credible as they could be any random person with their own personal assumptions, emotions, and biases that may make them believe. A flaw within this video is that no one is checking the credibility of the claims and sources that the town has paranormal activity. A limitation is that the person who posted this is most likely a believer in the paranormal.

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Cassadaga, Psychic Capital of the World | Short Take

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Post #1: Cassadaga: The Psychic Capital of the World 

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Post #1: Cassadaga: The Psychic Capital of the World 