Cassadaga and the Devil’s Chair
Cassadaga, Florida: “Where Mayberry meets The Twilight Zone.”
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Orlando may be known as the Theme Park Capital of the World, but roughly 35 miles to the north lies the unincorporated community of Cassadaga, the Psychic Capital of the World.
The Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association was founded in 1875 by George Colby, a traveling trance medium from Pike, New York. The name Cassadaga is a Seneca Indian word meaning “water beneath the rocks.” Colby claimed that one of his Native American spirit guides–coincidentally named Seneca–appeared to him during a seance and instructed him to move south to Florida. He arrived near Blue Springs Landing, the area that he claimed to have seen during the seance. In 1894, Colby was granted an official charter and the next year, he signed a deed for 35 acres. According to legend, the area sits atop a vortex of psychic energy.
George Colby
Cassadaga spiritualists with Colby
Cassadaga Post Office
The camp’s residents practiced spiritualism, an informal movement which saw popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries. Considered to be an art, science, and a religion by its adherents, the core principle of spiritualism is continuous life demonstrated through mediumship. Today, the camp sits on 57 acres and is home to around 66 residents, approximately 35 of whom are working mediums and psychics. Cassadaga is also home to the allegedly haunted Hotel Cassadaga, built in 1927.
Hotel Cassadaga
Hotel Cassadaga lobby
There is a certain stigma surrounding the town, with past church leaders likening spiritualism to demon worship and other unsavory practices, including human sacrifice and dumping the bodies in Lake Helen.
The Cassadaga-Lake Helen Cemetery is said to be a paranormal hotspot, where ghosts and shadowy figures have been seen lurking among the graves. It is also the location of the notorious Devil’s Chair. The red brick structure is a type of “mourning chair,” popular in the 19th century as places for grieving visitors to rest. Supposedly, sitting in the chair at midnight allows one to communicate with the Devil, either verbally or telepathically.
Another tradition is leaving an unopened beer in the chair, which will allegedly be either gone or found empty (but still unopened) by daylight. Some locals, however, claim that this was often due to mischievous teenagers who wanted free beer, not the Prince of Darkness. Many leave other offerings at the chair and claim to have seen orbs nearby.
Due to vandalism, a gate was eventually put up around the graveyard and a new closing time of 7:00 p.m. was announced. In addition, guards are posted at the cemetery every Halloween, to turn away would-be legend trippers.
The residents of Cassadaga welcome tourists and visitors, but are understandably wary of destructive outsiders, to which the town is closed after dark.
