Everyone is invited to join us for the opening of the Cole Art Show
PHOTO OF THE DAY
PUT THE “F” SIGN BACK AT OUR SUBWAY STATION
THE F OPERATES OVER 90 HOURS A WEEK THE M OPERATES ABOUT 75 HOURS A WEEK STOP THE RIDER CONFUSION AND PUT THE F SIGN BACK
CREDIT
JUDITH BERDY
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
Originally named the Union Guardian Building, this building was created for the Union Trust Co. when it required more space after a merger with the equally huge National Bank of Commerce. It would vacate its 1896 building — designed by Donaldson & Meier — for a new structure located across the street on a block bounded by Griswold, Larned and Congress.
The commission for the building went out to Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, which chose one of its noted designers, Wirt C. Rowland, for the job. The result was a 496-foot, 40-story steel-framed building sheathed in 1.8 million orange bricks — a specially formulated shade dubbed Guardian brick by the architect. The use of brick is unusual in a building of this size from this era. Usually, granite and limestone were used, and the Guardian was the world’s tallest masonry structure when it was completed.
This was Rowland’s third sizable commission in the city after doing the nearby Buhl and Penobscot buildings. Five buildings were torn down to make way for what would become the Guardian. Demolition on the Huron, Burns, Lewis, Butler and the Standard Savings and Loan Association buildings began on March 1, 1927. The skyscraper was literally founded on bedrock, resting upon 72 caissons sunk through hardpan to bedrock 120 feet below ground. The foundation was completed Oct. 15, 1927. It would open April 2, 1929.
The exterior of the building has a granite base with carvings by Corrado Parducci, with multistory windows surrounded by tile. Rising beyond the base is the orange brick facade, with portions setback to reveal a north and south tower connected to create an I shape. Elegant detail is seen throughout the facade and large amounts visible on the north tower crown.
The interior, however, was as elaborate, if not more so, than the exterior. Upon stepping through the doors, clients of the bank would enter the 150-foot-long main lobby, with a three-story vaulted ceiling above them, that consisted of an Aztec design with multicolor, interlocking hexagons of Rookwood pottery and Pewabic Tile. The giant columns in the room are formed from Travertine marble imported from Italy. At the base of each of these columns is a block of black marble imported from Belgium. No more of this black marble remains in the quarries from which it was mined.
And that’s not the only rare marble in the lobby. Numidian marble was chosen for its unusual blood-red color. No mines in the world quarried it at the time, so Rowland went to Africa, where a mine that had been closed for 30 years was reopened just long enough for Rowland to pick out the marble he needed for the lobby.
And for a ceiling of such height, the main banking lobby is unusually quiet. That’s because the ceiling is entirely acoustical, absorbing sound. A 3/4-inch mat of horsehair covered the cement-plaster ceiling. A perforated canvas was placed over that layer and painted.
Anthony Eugenio stenciled and cut the entire ceiling himself. A crew of 10 painters took on the job, using a pallet of 16 colors. Solid gold leaf adorns the sunburst arches; the rays of the sunbursts spread from the center of the ceiling down along the columns.
There also are several large simulated skylights in the center of the ceiling, giving the effect of natural lighting. They are composed of 4-inch square, glass tiles connected with lead channels and a center made of prisms and crinkled glass. All the glass was imported from France.
The wall between the elevators contains a large mosaic of a pine tree and text outlining the bank’s purpose. From there. The building’s elevator lobbies feature stained glass figures representing Fidelity.
The ceiling, color and stained glass give the Guardian a church-like feel and helped give it its nickname, the Cathedral of Finance.
The banking hall had the same ceiling height, but featured a hand-painted canvas ceiling, which was stretched over horsehair to dampen sound. Upon entering the hall, to the left and right were Art Deco styled teller windows, which flanked a mural of Michigan and its industries, painted by Ezra Winter. Separating the lobby and banking hall was a large screen of Monel metal with Art Deco styling, complete with a Tiffany glass clock in the center, of which only four clocks of the same style exist.
By the time the building was completed, Union Trust had bought up several other banks and become the Guardian Detroit Union Group, which held 40% of Detroit’s banking resources. But the Great Depression hit Detroit — and the bank — hard. In 1932, the bank went into receivership as the New Union Building Corp.
During World War II, the building was used as a command center for the Army as it coordinated ordinance production. The New Union Building Co. took the building back over after the war, but the bank filed for bankruptcy in 1949. It was sold at auction in 1952 to the Guardian Building Co. of the Michigan Bank Corp.
Up until the 1950s, MichCon remained the Guardian’s biggest tenant until the gas giant built its own skyscraper – now known as One Woodward – on the site of the Hotel Norton. But MichCon wasn’t giving up on the Guardian, actually buying the landmark in 1975, then selling it to General Electric Pension Trust under a leaseback contract. But in January 1983, MichCon separated from American Natural Resources and began listing its corporate address as the Guardian Building. MichCon would later vacate the building after merging with DTE Energy in May 2001.
In 1998, Smith, Hinchman & Grylls – now known simply as the SmithGroup – said it would move into the Guardian, the gem that one of its architects had designed 70 years earlier.
The Sterling Group bought the Guardian in the fall of 2003 and plunked down more than $14 million in improvements into it. But the biggest change was the announcement that Sterling would open the building up to the public, the first time in more than a quarter century that non-employees were allowed to enter the masterpiece.
In July 2007, Wayne County announced that it was going to buy the Guardian Building for $14.5 million and relocate some of its offices to the landmark. Unfortunately, the county would be vacating its offices in an even older Detroit landmark, the Old Wayne County Building.
The Guardian was designated a National Historic Landmark in June 1989.
The staircase leads to the former banking area.
The reception desk greets you with a burst of colors and textures
Every inch of the lobby exudes color.
Each elevator bank is arched with these tile motifs
The former banking hall now has shops and a wonderful ceiling murals, painted on fabric to deaden noises.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Remember a Night Depository? Businesses would bring their cash deposits to the depository at night.
CREDIT
JUDITH BERDY ROBIN LYNN DETROIT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
Michigan Central Station, located in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, was the city’s primary railway depot from 1913 to 1988. Prior to the new station’s construction, the Michigan Central Railroad operated out of a depot located near the Detroit River and Third Street – about where Joe Louis Arena previously stood. Michigan Central Station was built partially to accommodate rail traffic from the Detroit-Windsor rail tunnel, which opened in 1910, and an increase in passenger business. The station was put into use before a formal dedication in December 1913 due to a fire destroying the Third Street station.
The impressive structure was designed by New York hotel architects Whitney Warren and Charles D. Wetmore, along with Charles A. Reed and Allen Stem, designers of New York City’s Grand Central Station. The building consists of a three-story depot with 10 gates for trains, and an 18-story tower with more than 500 offices. The depot’s waiting room was the highlight of the station, with marble floors, high vaulted ceilings, bronze chandeliers, and many other details indicative of Beaux Arts style. It also featured a restaurant, lunch counter, barber shop, florist, bathing facilities, and other amenities.
Rail travel saw a sharp decline beginning in the 1950s due in part to the proliferation of highways and air travel, and ridership from the station sagged. Ownership changed hands several times beginning in 1968, with portions of the station closing and facilities disappearing until the final train departed on January 5, 1988, bound for Chicago. Redevelopment plans for the structure came and went, and much of its lavish features were destroyed by vandalism and neglect. The structure was saved from the threat of demolition several times thanks to pending plans and its listing on the National Register of Historic Places, achieved in 1975.
After sitting vacant for decades, the derelict but still beautiful station had become the target of “ruins photography,” and drew comparisons to Detroit as a whole. In June 2018, Ford Motor Company announced their purchase of the building, and their plans to transform the station and nearby buildings into a mixed-use campus. A remarkable undertaking spanning several years, the building underwent a full restoration and re-opened in June 2024, with an opening celebration headlined by a televised concert featuring Detroit musical legends.
The waiting room in the 1940’s
The blueprint shows the massive size of the terminal with gates to 5 sets of tracks reached by underground passages. There was a carriage entrance, a ladies waiting room and restaurant.
The abandoned station prior to purchase by Ford.
It took years to restore the massive General Waiting Room and the wonderful Guastavino tiled ceiling.
The station now has a park approaching the site with seating and flower beds. Activities are constantly scheduled for the station and many organizations have offices in the building above.
Light flows into the windows and the restored lamps.
Freight trains still pass by the station and Amtrak is planning on restoring passenger to the Central Station. There is still service to Chicago daily via the Amtrak Wolverine line from a smaller station in Detroit.
NoMad Hotels has announced its debut in Michigan, following an agreement with Ford Motor Company to open a nearly 180-guest room hotel in Detroit. The hotel will be housed within The Station at Michigan Central, a 30-acre tech and cultural hub. This is part of an ambitious effort to revitalize Detroit’s historic, once-abandoned passenger rail station.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
As the freight trains roll by, waiting for the future.
CREDIT
JUDITH BERDY DETROIT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
After a 90 minute flight from New York we arrived in Detroit for a 3 day adventure in the Motor City. The first stop was the Detroit Institute of Art. On the must see list was the Diego Rivera murals.
Entering the museum a grand foyer with sparkling chandeliers greet you and you proceed into the gallery.
The water fountain exudes the richness of the museum.
Detroit Industry Murals
1932-1933 Diego M. RiveraMexican, 1886 – 1957
About the Artwork
The themes established on the east wall are continued on the west wall, where the technologies of the air (aviation) and water (shipping and pleasure boating) are represented in the upper panels. The half-face/half-skull in the central monochrome panel symbolizes both the coexistence of life and death as well as humanity’s spiritual and physical aspects, while the star symbolizes aspirations and hope for civilization. This heraldic image introduces another major theme of the cycle: the dual qualities of human beings, nature, and technology. Vertical panels on each side of the west entrance to the court introduce the automobile industry theme through the representation of Power House No. I, the energy source for the Rouge complex.
TitleDetroit Industry Murals
Artwork Date1932-1933
ArtistDiego M. Rivera
Life Dates1886 – 1957
Nationality Mexican
Culture ———-
MediumFrescoes
Dimensionsvarious dimensions
ClassificationPaintings
DepartmentAmerican Art before 1950
CreditGift of Edsel B. Ford
Accession Number 33.10
CopyrightARS represents the Bank of Mexico on Rivera and Kahlo’s works of art with a few exceptions. Our murals are one of the exceptions and they are in public domain when published in the United States.
A brief video shows Rivera planning, sketching and painting the murals on the giant canvas’. Freida Callo sits with him taking notes.
The first image is a baby in a womb.
The murals are overwhelming to take in all in one visit. The images of the 1920’s assembly line with the workers, some protected, all doing dangerous tasks.
On each side of a door way are images of a worker at the Rouge power house and a manager supposedly looking partially like Henry Ford.
On the glove of the worker is a red star.
At all times there is a staff member to explain the complex stories of the mural.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
CREDIT
JUDITH BERDY
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
THIS MORNING WE WERE AT DETROIT AIRPORT. AT 8:47 A.M. THE AIRPORT CAME TO A COMPLETE HALT AND AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A MINUTE OF SILENCE WOULD BE OBSERVED, COMPLETE WITH AN HONOR GUARD.
AFTERWARD WE SPOKE TO MR. GILMORE A TSA OFFICER. HE JOINED TSA ONE YEAR AFTER 9/11. HE TOLD US HE HAD NEVER MET NEW YOKERS WHO WERE IN NEW YORK ON THAT DAY. HE FELT IT MEANT SO MUCH HAVING MET NEW YORKERS ON THIS DAY. WE HONOR HIM FOR HIS SERVICE TO OUR COUNTY.
LOUIS I. KAHN:
THE LAST NOTEBOOK
PRESENTED BY SUE ANN KAHN
DAUGHTER OF LOUIS KAHN
RIHS & NYPL
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14th
6:30 P.M.
ROOSEVELT ISLAND BRANCH
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
OPEN TO ALL AGES
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Issue # 1745
SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR FIRST NYPL PROGRAM
Two volume set
CREDITS
Judith Berdy
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
I was on 36tth Avenue in Astoria and decided to see what was around the corner from Little Flower Coffee.I discovered a lovely neighborhood.
I shared a table with the neighborhood cafe that serves unique combination breakfast/brunch foods. Little Flower is owned by the family that owns Sammy’s Kabab own the same block and is Halal.
I spotted the garden loaded with sunflowers. Time to walk down the street.
Small house with grand gates and gateposts. This turned out to be a theme in the neighborhood.
The neighborhood has rows of wonderful single family homes with large entries and gardens
This house has its own little book library, perfectly matched the brick of the big house.
The secret is alleys linking to backyards and parking areas. Considered uneconomical, this style is not used now but it is so much more appealing view.
Individuality is always obvious in Queens neighborhoods. The love of steel at this home is apparent.
This squirrel observes the rules.
No cigar smoking in the house.
Crescent Street has recently been changed to 2 lanes for bikes, one for parking and one for cars. No longer the fastest way to get from there to here.
I was at Foodtown this afternoon and purchased a roast beef sandwich for lunch. I was in a rush and put it on top of my full tote bag. I got on the #6 red bus to go home. When I was in the lobby of 531, my home, I discovered the sandwich was missing. I called PSD and the officer asked which bus I was on and which direction it was going. A few minutes later he called back and told me the sandwich would be at PSD when the bus came north. I met the bus and thanked PSD for the swift response.
SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR FIRST NYPL PROGRAM
CREDITS
Judith Berdy
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
NYC HISTORY NYC GEOGRAPHY BIOGRAPHIES GUIDE BOOKS ARTS BOOKS COFFEE TABLE BOOKS WORLD WAR 1 BOOKS ARCHITECTURAL BOOKS AND MUCH MORE
CREDITS
JUDITH BERDY
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
The first indication that the Fox Sisters had spiritualist talents occurred on the evening of March 31, 1848 when 11-year-old Kate and 14-year-old Maggie Fox claimed they heard knocking sounds coming from the east bedroom of their parents’ rented farmhouse in Hydesville, Wayne County, NY, about 30 miles east of Rochester.
The next night, the young ladies revealed this strange knocking spirit to their mother and older sister, Leah. The family’s excitement about communicating beyond the grave took no note that the inaugural demonstration had been staged on April first.
A few days later several neighbors were invited to hear the strange knockings. The neighborhood assemblage asked the source to guess the age of a close family friend and received the correct number of raps in return.
Mrs. Fox then asked, “If you are an injured spirit manifest it by three raps.” The knocking’s reply convinced everyone assembled that Maggie and Kate were communicating beyond earth’s mortal bonds.
Neighbors then searched the house and found strands of hair and fragments of bone in the cellar. The find prompted someone to remind the group that a peddler had disappeared, and was probably murdered in the Hydesville farmhouse.
Older sister Leah wrote a letter to Isaac and Amy Post, who were prominent members of Rochester’s spiritualist movement. The Posts invited Maggie and Kate to their home to demonstrate their talents before a group of spiritualist activists. There the knocking thumps produced an emotional reunion with the Post’s recently deceased daughter.
The Posts then rented a hall for a public demonstration that attracted four hundred spirit believers. After an arousing performance, the constable’s wife took the two girls off stage where they disrobed for examination. Finding no evidence of trickery, the constable and most of the evening’s attendees departed, convinced the sisters had been gifted a special talent.
At the time, Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Weekly Tribune, was backing a tour of Dr. Franz Mesmer’s disciples promoting Mesmer’s theory of universal magnetic fluid. Evening after evening, the touring disciples waved their hands over volunteers to induce a relaxed hypnotic state they called being “mesmerized,” many of whom reported visions of a departed loved one.
Greeley recognized a good story, and his newspaper quickly followed the Fox sisters’ Rochester demonstration with an enthusiastic article about their unique talents. He then invited the sisters to the city of New York, where they met another aspiring spiritualist, Andrew Jackson Davis (1826-1910).
Davis called himself the Poughkeepsie Seer, but his real expertise lay in marketing, and he knew just how to promote the cute young prodigies. The sales pitch: “Communicating with the dead teaches the living about heaven and hell, assuring salvation.”
After their successful New York debut, Davis managed Fox sister tours from New York to Cincinnati. Seance attendees paid one dollar each, but private sessions were available for a considerably larger fee. In advance of their arrival, Davis paid local newspapers to carry updated stories about the sisters’ special skills. His favorite story was one about the Fox Sisters conjuring Benjamin Franklin’s spirit.
Fox seances were limited to 21 attendees and followed a format standard to the spiritualist movement. The rooms were bathed in blue-shaded gaslight, and a table of food was set out with a little sign that read, “Please partake of this fare. The spirit you seek is drawn to nourishment and encouraged by your contentment. Like us, the spirits seek sustenance.”
As customers gathered, Maggie and Kate mingled, speaking in voices so soft they were difficult to hear. With each approach, they hugged their guests, held hands, and gave the impression of a very private conversation. They asked the reason for attending and what message the departed would like to hear. Maggie did most of the talking, but neither girl took notes.
Maggie and Kate asked about the individual’s death, then asked for one pleasant memory and one memory that only the spirit would know. These pre-interviews established an intimacy that even made skeptics long for friends and relatives who had passed on.
Once they had circulated, a chime sounded, directing attendees to their seats. The sisters retreated behind a curtain while Mr. Davis (or their older sister Leah) explained that it was critical to maintain a total number of occupants evenly divisible by three. Therefore, no one could leave the room until the seance was completed.
There was to be no talking unless specifically addressed by one of the sisters. The final instruction warned everyone that alcohol must not be consumed until the cock crowed at dawn on the next day.
At this point, another chime rang out, and the sisters emerged from behind the curtain to take their places sitting in straight-back chairs in front of a small oval table covered with a long black cloth on which sat a loaf of freshly baked bread and three candles. As they lit the candles, the lamps in the room dimmed.
Maggie began, “We are deeply saddened by the loss each of you have experienced and are privileged to share with you God’s unique gift so generously bestowed on us. Communicating with the dead is serious and frightening business for both the living and the dead. By our silence we show our respect for those spirits with courage to speak. So too, it is essential that everyone hold hands no matter what transgresses. Tears can be wiped away later. Breaking the circle frightens the spirit and extinguishes the communication.”
The sisters then broke the loaf of bread into thirds. Steam rose from the broken loaf, and its freshness filled the room. Each sister tore a bite from the center of the bread; they then closed their eyes and remained silent for several moments. Soon, they began a chant of unintelligible words.
Suddenly, Maggie unleashed a forceful voice, “Our beloved Silas Abrams (or the name of another attendee’s departed loved one), we bring you gifts for life unto death. Commune with us Silas Abrams, and move among us. Join our bond of good will. Fear not our intentions.”
In response, a loud rap seemed to arise from the floor. Maggie said, “You are welcomed among these assembled souls as a friend and messenger. We are all pleased by your presence and respectful of your great exertions. One rap confirms and two raps deny. Please be open to the limitations of the living and accept our attentions.”
Over the ensuing hour, several, but not all, attendees were provided the opportunity to speak with dead relatives or friends through the code of knocking sounds. With some embellishment, Maggie and Kate recited stories shared during the earlier conversations.
As the hour closed, Maggie thanked the spirits who chose to attend and suggested that those spirits not revealing themselves might be welcomed at another time. They then closed with a few more unintelligible chants.
Audiences included farmers, businessmen, and laborers. The sisters did two shows an evening, taking in $42 a night (worth about $1,000 in 2027 dollars). It was more than common laborers made in two months and eclipsed the five-cent admission charged by most traveling lecturers.
To non-believers, the Fox sisters were dismissed as the “Rochester Knockers and Rappers.” But local newspapers, including Buffalo’s Commercial Advertizer, covered the Fox sisters’ spiritualism as a serious religious marvel, reprinting the press releases written by Mr. Davis.
Physicians, at least those making strides to embrace the principles of science, were infuriated. They dismissed the magical thinking encouraged by the Fox sisters much as they did the medical quacks peddling false hope.
In 1851, the Fox sisters booked a meeting room in Buffalo’s Phelps House Hotel. It happened to be the residence of Dr. Charles Coventry, professor of physiology and medical jurisprudence at Buffalo Medical College.
The curious Dr. Coventry attended a performance and afterwards he wrote a letter to the Commercial Advertizer that concluded, “such spectacles must propel all men of science to discourage all further waste of time, money, and credulity on the folly perpetrated by the Fox sisters.”
At Dr. Coventry’s urging, the Erie County Medical Society appointed a committee of investigation comprising Dr. Coventry, Dr. Charles Lee, two community leaders with credentials in science, and Dr. Austin Flint as chairman. Flint published a letter in the Commercial Advertizer challenging the sisters to an inspection.
The Fox sisters responded by publishing their own letter, welcoming the medical society’s inquiry. In part, their letter claimed that, “the investigation will contribute to an understanding of the important and mysterious manifestations for which we are honored to serve as an exceptional and uncommon agent.” Both letters were reprinted in several newspapers across New York State.
Within the week, the inspection was scheduled at the same Phelps Hotel where the sisters had performed. Dr. Flint began by suggesting that the sisters assume positions that would best demonstrate their abilities.
The sisters chose to sit side by side on firm, upright chairs, but asked if another attendee might be invited to bring the total present to a number divisible by three. Coventry invited a “proper” lady known to reside at the Phelps.
Maggie and Kate lit three candles on a short table before them and began their incantations according to habit. They soon confirmed the presence of a chatty, rapping spirit. At the close of their initial demonstration, the sisters expressed their delight with how accommodating the Phelps was to spirits.
At this point, Dr. Flint placed the feet of both sisters on cushions that prevented solid contact with the floor. The table with the three candles was carefully rearranged, but the spirits proved unarousable. Maggie explained that the spirits likely found the presence of so many skeptics fatiguing.
Flint apologized and removed the cushion under Kate’s feet, still no spirits could be awakened. Now Flint removed Maggie’s cushions, and in very little time the spirits were revived and the knocking recurred.
In the last phase of the inquiry, the “proper” lady Dr. Coventry recruited was instructed to hold the younger Kate’s knees. After introductory incantations, the spirits returned. Flint then instructed the woman to firmly hold Maggie’s knees, at which time spirit communications could not be produced.
Clearly, the older sister, Margaret, was the source of the rapping. Kate’s role was to reinforce Margaret’s memory and add to the sing-song nature of their incantations, but otherwise she was entirely passive. With the source of the rapping revealed, Dr. Flint ushered in two women he knew to be capable of producing similar rapping sounds by flexing their knees and ankles.
The wooden Phelps Hotel floor produced results nearly as sonorous as Maggie’s well-practiced knocks. To Flint, the explanation was now obvious. In women with supple ligaments, the broad articular surfaces of the knee joint allow considerable lateral motion. When the foot was firmly planted, a sudden lateral force can generate a rather loud noise similar to cracking the knuckles of one’s hands.
Flint rushed the publication of the committee’s findings into the March 1851 issue of the Buffalo Medical Journal. In the article, Flint expressed sympathy for people who seek remedy from grief through spiritualist communications. He admitted that even men of science have fallen victim to deceptive reasoning and at least temporarily believe things that are later proven false.
Flint hoped that similar investigations would be conducted on the mechanisms used by the many other showmen then touring the United States. The article was signed by Austin Flint, MD, Charles A. Lee, MD, and C. B. Coventry, MD.
The sisters feigned protest. They claimed the committee was typical of non-believers, like those who once denounced Galileo’s planetary theories. The official statement from the Fox Sisters was:
“It is true that when our feet were placed on cushions stuffed with shavings, and resting on our heels, there were no sounds heard, and that sounds were heard when our feet were resting on the floor; and it is just as true that if our friendly spirits retired when they witnessed such harsh proceedings on the part of our persecutors, it was not in our power to detain them.”
The Fox Sisters relished the publicity. As one might expect, believers dismissed Flint’s paper as an attack rather than an enlightenment, emphasizing that doctors are not priests. Flint countered, “we have satisfactorily demonstrated the principal phenomenon [is] an imposition and fraud, I think it as well to leave such persons in their simplicity; for, in their anxious search after the marvelous and wonderful, I fear they would grasp at something still more absurd and ridiculous.”
Flint and his committee proved to be no match for the marketing skills of Andrew Davis. Now adding an unfair persecution bias to his promotional activity, Davis continued to promote the Fox Sisters for another twenty years. Eventually Maggie, Kate, and their older sister Leah went their separate ways, maintaining their lifestyles by holding private seances for wealthy patrons.
A Philadelphia philanthropist funded the Sybert Commission to investigate spiritualism in 1884-1887. When interviewing Maggie Fox, then a tottering alcoholic, the commission repeated Flint’s investigative method and again found the rappings failed to occur if Maggie’s feet were placed on pillows.
Finally, at the Academy of Music, on October 21, 1888, Maggie, with Kate sitting nearby, took the stage before a packed house and confessed forty years of deception. She then showed how she made the rapping sounds for the assembled audience. The story was reported in the New York Herald on October 24, 1888.
While in Paris in 1854, Flint was asked about the Rochester knockings. In his response he told of an examination he had conducted on the wife of a Buffalo physician who could produce the same intense sounds produced by Margaret Fox. This woman produced double clicks or single clicks and could adjust click volume by altering the speed with which she moved her knee.
The clicks could be heard for a distance of 100 feet and in the floor below, but required her feet to be firmly planted on a hardwood floor. Since the Fox Sister inquiry, Flint had encountered a number of women who could generate rapping sounds, though none claimed communication with the dead.
Flint concluded, “The extent with which spiritual rapping belief has prevailed in the United States offers a sad illustration of the credulity of mankind.”
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CREDITS
New York Almanac
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
