Haunted Ground: Journeys Through a Paranormal America: Journeys Through a Paranormal America

According to a 2005 Gallup poll, 75 percent of Americans believe in some form of paranormal activity. The United States has had a collective fascination with the paranormal since the mid-1800s, and it remains an integral part of our culture. Haunted Ground: Journeys through a Paranormal America examines three of the most vibrant paranormal gatherings in the United States#8212;Lily Dale, a Spiritualist summer camp; the Roswell UFO Festival; and the American Society of Dowsers' annual convention of "water witches"#8212;to explore and explain the reasons for our obsession with the paranormal. Both academically informed and thoroughly entertaining, this book takes readers on a "road trip" through our nation, guided by professor of American religion Darryl V. Caterine, PhD. The author interprets seemingly unrelated case studies of phantasmagoria collectively as an integral part of the modern discourse about "nature" as ultimate reality. Along the way, Dr. Caterine reveals how Americans' interest in the paranormal is rooted in their anxieties about cultural, political, and economic instability#8212;and in a historic sense of alienation and homelessness This book takes us on a tour through present-day meetings of Spiritualists, UFOlogists, and dowsers, illuminates our obsession with the paranormal and challenges the misunderstanding of the paranormal as a marginal or inconsequential feature of America's religious landscape. Lily Dale, New York, is a thriving Spiritualist community established well over a century ago. Roswell, New Mexico, is home of the Roswell UFO Festival that attracts nearly 30,000 attendees annually. There are popular television shows like The X-Files, Medium, and The Mentalist, hit movies such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Sixth Sense, and Phenomenon. Why do Americans continue to have such a keen interest in the paranormal? According to a 2005 Gallup poll, 75 percent of Americans believe in some form of paranormal activity. The United States has had a collective fascination with the paranormal since the mid-1800s, and it remains an integral part of our culture. This book examines three of the most vibrant paranormal gatherings in the United States: Lily Dale, a Spiritualist summer camp; the Roswell UFO Festival; and the American Society of Dowsers' annual convention of "water witches", to explore and explain the reasons for our obsession with the paranormal. Academically informed, this book takes readers on a "road trip" through our nation, guided by the author, a professor of American religion. He interprets seemingly unrelated case studies of phantasmagoria collectively as an integral part of the modern discourse about "nature" as ultimate reality. Along the way, he reveals how Americans' interest in the paranormal is rooted in their anxieties about cultural, political, and economic instability, and in a historic sense of alienation and homelessness. This fascinating and insightful tour through present-day meetings of Spiritualists, UFOlogists, and dowsers illuminates our obsession with the paranormal and challenges the misunderstanding of the paranormal as a marginal or inconsequential feature of America's religious landscape.According to a 2005 Gallup poll, 75 percent of Americans believe in some form of paranormal activity. The United States has had a collective fascination with the paranormal since the mid-1800s, and it remains an integral part of our culture. Haunted Ground: Journeys through a Paranormal America examines three of the most vibrant paranormal gatherings in the United States—Lily Dale, a Spiritualist summer camp; the Roswell UFO Festival; and the American Society of Dowsers'annual convention of'water witches'—to explore and explain the reasons for our obsession with the paranormal.Both academically informed and thoroughly entertaining, this book takes readers on a'road trip'through our nation, guided by professor of American religion Darryl V. Caterine, PhD. The author interprets seemingly unrelated case studies of phantasmagoria collectively as an integral part of the modern discourse about'nature'as ultimate reality. Along the way, Dr. Caterine reveals how Americans'interest in the paranormal is rooted in their anxieties about cultural, political, and economic instability—and in a historic sense of alienation and homelessness. This fascinating and insightful tour through present-day meetings of Spiritualists, UFOlogists, and dowsers illuminates our obsession with the paranormal and challenges the misunderstanding of the paranormal as a marginal or inconsequential feature of America's religious landscape. According to a 2005 Gallup poll, 75 percent of Americans believe in some form of paranormal activity. The United States has had a collective fascination with the paranormal since the mid-1800s, and it remains an integral part of our culture. Haunted Journeys through a Paranormal America examines three of the most vibrant paranormal gatherings in the United StatesLily Dale, a Spiritualist summer camp; the Roswell UFO Festival; and the American Society of Dowsers' annual convention of "water witches"to explore and explain the reasons for our obsession with the paranormal. Both academically informed and thoroughly entertaining, this book takes readers on a "road trip" through our nation, guided by professor of American religion Darryl V. Caterine, PhD. The author interprets seemingly unrelated case studies of phantasmagoria collectively as an integral part of the modern discourse about "nature" as ultimate reality. Along the way, Dr. Caterine reveals how Americans' interest in the paranormal is rooted in their anxieties about cultural, political, and economic instabilityand in a historic sense of alienation and homelessness. This Fascinating And Insightful Tour Through Present-day Meetings Of Spiritualists, Ufologists, And Dowsers Illuminates Our Obsession With The Paranormal And Challenges The Misunderstanding Of The Paranormal As A Marginal Or Inconsequential Feature Of America's Religious Landscape. • Chronologies Focusing On The Main Developments In Spiritualist, Ufological, And Dowsing History • Photographs Of Materials, Culture, And Events At Lily Dale, The Roswell Ufo Festival, And The American Society Of Dowsers Annual Convention Taken By The Author • A Bibliography Of Authoritative Scholarly Works, Primary Texts, And Theoretical Frameworks Pertinent To The Study Of Spiritualism, Ufology, And Dowsing Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Prologue......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 16 Introduction: Afoot and Lighthearted......Page 18 1: Lily Dale: To Wonder Is to Wander......Page 26 2: Lily Dale (Cont’d): Inner Wandering......Page 52 3: Roswell: Cast Adrift......Page 74 4: Roswell (Cont’d): Behemoth......Page 100 5: The Dowsers’s Convention: In Arcadia......Page 124 6: The Dowsers’s Convention (Cont’d): Et in Arcadia Ego......Page 148 Epilogue: The Damned Facts......Page 176 Notes......Page 180 Bibliography......Page 206 Index......Page 214