Classification: Legendary & Supernatural Humanoids

Temporal Range: 1840s - 1890s

Geographic Range: New York, USA but toured across the country

Diet: Typical 19th Century diet

Horde: Wretched Mortals

In an unsuspecting house in New York in 1848, two young women began communicating with unseen entities through knocks and taps on the walls. The Fox Sisters,Maggie (Margaretta) and Kate (Catherine), claimed they had a gift. With their eldest sister, Leah, acting as their business manager, they became the phenomenon that launched the Spiritualist movement.

The sisters went on to perform in theaters and music halls, summoning spirits and posing questions that could be answered through clicks, taps, and raps. Audiences were captivated, and the sisters soon rose in society, hosting séances for the elite. Participants reported hearing mysterious sounds that corresponded directly to questions and statements, suggesting intelligent responses. For many, this was the proof they had been seeking of life after death.

Leah’s business acumen helped propel the sisters to fame, but infighting and drinking problems for Kate and Maggie led to significant negative press. Several parapsychologists, physicians, and skeptics tested the sisters. Some claimed to find evidence that they were genuinely communicating with spirits, while others dismissed them as frauds. Even the sisters themselves occasionally declared their abilities to be fake, only to later recant or change their stories. Some believe the pressure to “confess” drove them to make these claims, as they sought to hide their abilities in later life.

Regardless of the controversies, the Fox Sisters gave birth to the Spiritualist movement. Even as belief in their gifts waned, belief in Spiritualism endured.

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