Lily Dale, New York facts for kids
Lily Dale is a special small town in southwestern New York State. It's located right next to Cassadaga Lake. This unique place is famous for its connection to Spiritualism. Spiritualism is a belief system where people think they can communicate with spirits of those who have passed away.
Even though only about 275 people live in Lily Dale all year, it gets super busy in the summer! Around 22,000 visitors come each year. They come for classes, workshops, and public events where mediums (people who say they can talk to spirits) give demonstrations. Famous speakers like Lisa Williams and Deepak Chopra have also visited.
Lily Dale started in 1879. It was first called the Cassadaga Lake Free Association. It was a place for Spiritualists and people who liked to think freely. Later, its name changed a few times, finally becoming Lily Dale Assembly in 1906. The main goal of Lily Dale was to help people learn more about Spiritualism. Lily Dale was even shown in an HBO documentary called No One Dies in Lily Dale. Many of its old buildings are now protected as historic places.
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Exploring Lily Dale's Location
Lily Dale is found on the eastern side of Upper Cassadaga Lake. This lake is part of a group of four lakes. The town is about 1,325 feet above sea level. You can get there easily from New York State Route 60, which is a main road nearby. This road connects Lily Dale to bigger cities like Dunkirk and Jamestown.
Discovering Leolyn Woods
Right in Lily Dale, there's a cool place called Leolyn Woods. It's a 10-acre forest with very old trees. During the summer, you might pay a small fee to enter, but at other times, it's free! Even though it's not huge, you can see some really old and tall trees here. Some of the eastern white pine trees are as tall as 135 feet! Other big trees include oak, hemlock, and maple. Some of these trees are thought to be between 200 and 400 years old. Imagine how much history they've seen!
Spiritualism and the Lily Dale Community
Lily Dale grew to be the biggest center for the Spiritualist movement. While other similar communities became less active, Lily Dale kept growing. There are still other active Spiritualist communities, like the one in Cassadaga, Florida.
A famous house, called the Fox Cottage, was moved to Lily Dale in 1915. This house was important because it was where the Fox sisters, who were very famous early Spiritualists, lived. Sadly, the house was destroyed by fire in 1955. Today, the spot where it stood is a small clearing in the woods.
Lily Dale is also home to the main office of the National Spiritualist Association of Churches (NSAC). This group was started in 1893. Many people who are part of the Spiritualist movement live in Lily Dale all year.
The Lily Dale Spiritualist Assembly
The Lily Dale Spiritualist Assembly is the main organization in Lily Dale. They hold meetings and offer classes all year long. These classes teach about topics like mediumship (communicating with spirits) and other spiritual subjects. Many well-known speakers, like Deepak Chopra and John Edward, have visited Lily Dale to share their ideas.
This special community has its own library, called The Marion Skidmore Library. It also has the Lily Dale Museum, which shows the history of Spiritualism. There's even a volunteer fire department!
Lily Dale has about 160 homes, two hotels, and several guest houses. You can find bookstores that sell books about Spiritualism and new age topics. There are also two places to eat and a café. In the summer, you can get a free booklet that lists all the events. These include mediumship demonstrations, religious services, workshops, and healing services. Visitors can also find campgrounds for tents or RVs, picnic areas, and a beach for swimming. If you visit on a Sunday morning for church, you don't have to pay to enter the grounds.
Images for kids
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The entrance to the Lily Dale Spiritualist community in New York.
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This clearing in the woods is where the famous Fox Sisters' cabin used to be.
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The Lily Dale Museum is in an old schoolhouse and teaches about the history of Spiritualism.
