Hours of Operation

Open June - September

 

 

 

 

 

Lily Dale Assembly

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LILY DALE

Lily Dale was formed by an early group of Spiritualists who bought land for camp meetings where they discussed their beliefs and practiced their healing and mediumship. The camp was named Lily Dale for the abundance of water lilies on the lake, and it grew to become the center of modern Spiritualism.

BIRTH OF MODERN SPIRITUALISM

The Spiritualist movement was started in Hydesville, near Rochester, when two young girls, the Fox sisters, heard strange rappings on the walls of their cottage. After learning the tapped language they believed they were able to use it to communicate with the dead. The believers say they are able to contact spirits of the dead through gifted members of the group, called mediums.

Fox Cottage

The Fox cottage was considered so important to the religion that it was moved to Lily Dale in 1915 and set up as a shrine to Spiritualism. In 1955 a fire destroyed the cottage, but some artifacts were saved and can still be seen in the
Lily Dale Museum.

Auditorium

Built in 1883 and remodeled in 1901, many famous people, including Susan B. Anthony have appeared in the 1200 seat auditorium.

Marion H. Skidmore Library

The library was founded in 1886 in a tent across from the Pagoda, and was then housed in the Assembly Hall building until 1924, when the present building was finished. The Library houses the largest collection of books on Spiritualism in the world.

Entrance Gate c1910

Many visitors arrived at a train station on the west side of the lake and walked across the bridge to enter Lily Dale through this gate.
 

Lily Dale Assembly
5 Melrose Park, Lily Dale, NY 14752
Phone: (716) 595-8721
Website: Click Here