LILY DALE

N EW YORK
Lily Dale is a lakeside community dedicated to the religion of Spiritualism.  The concept of Lily Dale since its founding in 1897 is still a large part of what Lily Dale is today including the pursuit of Spiritual Enlightenment and the exploration of knowledge into the unknown.  That's pretty much how the 2009 Workshop Guide sums it up.  Louise and I, mostly Louise, went to see and hear Rosemary Altea's workshop and John White's workshop, both spiritual Mediums.   Lily Dale holds group meetings at Inspriation Stump and at the Forest Temple daily to bring messages from beyond to individuals attending.  There are also daily classes on spiritual healing.  Also, Meditation assemblies are well attended.

From Louise:   Lily Dale, New York, is the largest Spiritualist community in the world.  A Spiritualist is one who believes in the continuity of life and the individual’s responsibility to do the right thing.  This unique village of over 100 old Victorian homes on Cassadaga Lake with beautifully landscaped grounds was established in 1879 and some of the current residents are descendants of these original psychics, healers, and mediums since it appears that this gift is passed down.  Visitors are welcome for workshops and special events during the summer months. 
A RAYWRIGHTS.COM/RAYWRIGHTS.NET WEBSITE
Private home of a Medium.
Angel House is a guest home much like the one we stayed in.
Cottage Row, street closest to the lake.
On the property there were three places to eat and get beverages. (Alcohol and Drugs not permitted) Kind of like having three Dairy Queens.
Forest Temple where several Mediums would give readings to the people attending. Held daily, several times at different locations.
A particularly impressive backyard from the street. Most of the houses had some kind of flower garden in front of the house and on the sides and rear.
The Lily Dale Museum, to the left, we didn't get a chance to see.
Street scene from Lily Dale.
Private home of a Medium.
Louise enjoys a taste of the ye’ old Banana Split and then looks for encouragement from the Inspiration Stump.The stump has been there since the inception of the community; of course it is now mostly concrete and other man made materials.
This is Inspiration Stump where there is a meeting twice a day for the visitors to get readings from several mediums. The readings are spontaneous like what you see on the John Edwards TV Show. People put stones (people who believe in the power of stones) on the stump hoping to increase the power of their stone, or rock.
This bridge is actually in the park to the left. If you look over the bench in the park picture you can see the bridge. The guy on the bridge wouldn't get off so consider him part of the scenery.
Street scene after rain. It rained a lot while we were there.
Lily Dale photo from the eighteenth century.                                                      Cup of Joe Cafe
This page was last updated: August 1, 2012
Lily Dale Museum (Not open on Monday, bummer)
Strange critter, this black squirrel. First time for me and most of the other visitors to Lily Dale. Not so rare I found out.
Same black squirrel.
The homes were in different states of repair. Some were newly restored and others needing some repair to very thorough remodel. The ones behind Louise are in pretty good shape. Notice how nice the gardens are.
Click here for Link to Wikipedia page about Black Squirrels.
Pictures like this were framed and posted in many places throughout the community.
The Bunch Club was built in 1891. It housed the bowling alley and billiard hall.It was a place where the men could relax from their daily worries. There was also a ferris wheel located right on the beach.The Bunch Club was torn down when the buildings foundation deteriorated.The Electric Plant was also located here. It ran for 6 hours per day. It was one of the first in the country.
The park picture and the sign below show what was originally on the property. Mouse over the sign for more information.
The trip to Lily Dale was different and interesting from the point of seeing, listening and being an active participant, instead of visualizing what I read  in books about Mediums.

The accommodations were not very good, the food was mediocre at best, (not much to choose from on the property) and the tree that fell on my car was not my best moment, but all in all it was a good trip.  The meditation service on Sunday was excellent and Rosemary Altea was entertaining, if not convincing.
Mouse over pictures for more information.
The picture of the Jamestown, NY, sign is a bit peculiar, but I was attracted to this town when we drove through it.  Jamestown was much different than I expected, being clean and easy on the eye, a combination of the old and the new.  There’s about 32,000 people who live and work in this once furniture capital of the world.