CitegeistApril 01, 202600:41:4657.37 MB

The Spirit of Katie King: Spiritualism, Séances, and Scandal

During the height of the Spiritualist movement, a spirit named Katie King appeared in darkened séance rooms across America and England. She was like nothing the world had ever seen. She materialized before witnesses, speaking, walking, and even allowing herself to be touched. Scientists, journalists, and believers alike insisted she was proof of life after death.

Katie King claimed to be the daughter of the infamous pirate Henry Morgan, returning from the afterlife as a "spirit control" to show the world that death was not the end. But as the séances grew more elaborate, and the manifestations more physical, suspicion began to rise. Join us today for a story of dimly lit cabinets, public demonstrations, whispered accusations, and a series of dramatic exposures that shook the foundation of Spiritualism itself, leading to its downfall.

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SOURCES

American Hauntings. “MEDIUMS OR MAGICIANS?” Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/davenport.

Beachcombing. “Spirit Photo Fakes: Katie King.” Beachcombing’s Bizarre History Blog, January 4, 2014. http://www.strangehistory.net/2014/01/05/spirit-photo-fakes-katie-king/.

“Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress - Retro Member Details.” Accessed March 23, 2026. https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=O000152&lang=en&lang=en&lang=en.

“Charley and Walter Ross: The First People Kidnapped in the U.S.” Accessed March 23, 2026. https://www.ushistory.org/germantown/upper/charley.htm?srsltid=AfmBOoo4kl_H2Wl0C7EBb979k_Y5_iuptZdvLOziLdSAb_ti6mBNCDuE.

Child, Henry T. “Report of Henry T. Child, M. D., Vaccine Physician for the Northern District of the Northern Liberties of Philadelphia.” Medical Examiner (Philadelphia, Pa.) 3, no. 26 (1847): 86–87.

Cincinnati Daily Gazette (Cincinnati, Ohio). “A Ghost or a Fraud.” July 23, 1874.

Detroit Advertiser and Tribune (Detroit, Michigan). “The Katie King Affair.” September 25, 1874.

Hoover, Stephanie. Philadelphia Spiritualism and the Curious Case of Katie King. The History Press, 2013. https://www.biblio.com/book/philadelphia-spiritualism-curious-case-katie-king/d/1588335242?srsltid=AfmBOor8LGIoqOeC-bMLOhMRnj7bTabEdHPM7OWWnZPcR3MxNop7G23j.

Olcott, Henry Steel. People from the Other World. American Publishing Company, 1875.

Photograph of the Materialized Spirit, “Katie King.” [with Dr. James Manby Gully (1808-1883)]. 1875 1874. Cabinet photograph. Harvard Art Museums.

River Falls Journal (River Falls, WI). “Robert Dale Owen. The Cause and Manifestations of His Insanity.” July 30, 1875.

“Rope Escapes, Musical Ghosts, and the Mysterious Magic of the Davenport Brothers.” Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.weirdhistorian.com/rope-escapes-musical-ghosts-and-the-mysterious-magic-of-the-davenport-brothers/.

“Spiritualists and Spiritualism.” Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, n.d. Accessed March 23, 2026. https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/spiritualists-and-spiritualism/.

Sunday Dispatch (Philadelphia, PA). “‘Katie King’ or ‘The Spiritualism Mysery Exposed.’” April 1, 1877.

“The Curious Case of Cook and Crookes.” Accessed March 15, 2026. https://www.sparkmuseum.org/the-curious-case-of-cook-and-crookes/.

The Evening News (Detroit, Michigan). “Holmes’ Humbug. A News Skeptic Goes After That Blissfield Ghost.” September 19, 1874.

The Evening News (Detroit, Michigan). “Katie King. She Makes Her Debut in Michigan.” September 14, 1874.

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA). “Katie King. Her Autobiography Concluded.” Secs. 1-2. January 11, 1875.

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA). “Katie King. Her Full History. As Related by Herself.” Secs. 1-2. January 9, 1875.

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA). “Robert Dale Owen’s Insanity and Its Cause.” July 6, 1875.

WATCH on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@Joshua.Spellman

https://citegeistpod.com/
Have a ghost story you want to share? Leave a voice note or send an en email at https://citegeistpod.com/contact
Podcast Instagram: http://instagram.com/citegeistpod
Personal Instagram: http://instagram.com/joshua.spellman

Channel illustration by GiAnna Ligammari:
https://virtualgia.com/
https://www.instagram.com/virtualgia.zip

Royalty Free Music: "Behind the Veil" by 8er41

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