From 6:30pm-9:20pm on October 23, 6:30pm-10:30pm on October 24 and 25, 6:30pm-8:50pm on October 26, 2025, Mabry-Hazen House will host A Victorian Séance Experience inside the front parlors of the 1858 historic house.

The House of Tarot opens to the public for tarot readings and Halloween vendors from 6:00pm-to 9:30pm on thursday, 6:00pM to 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday, and 6:00pm to 9:00pm on Sunday.

As the evenings grow darker and the first hint of winter hangs in the air, the western world enters the season of the dead. It is a time when ghost stories, dark tales, and mysterious happenings rise up to help us understand death and the unexplained. Along with the historic house museum and family history, Mabry-Hazen House also preserves this darker history of Americans' experiences with death, burial, and Spiritualism. For the seventh year, Mabry-Hazen House will exhibit those macabre, yet fascinating cultural moments during their immersive A Victorian Séance Experience.

Under the guidance of a Victorian medium, the séances will reenact a nineteenth-century Spiritualist séance filled with “mysterious and startling wonders.” Joining their Victorian host, sitters will judge historic “demonstrations” of mediumship. Relying on primary sources from the nineteenth century, these sessions recreate a Victorian séance and give you an immersive experience to investigate them. Whether true manifestations of spirits or clever parlor tricks, sitters at the séances will experience this eerie, yet ubiquitous aspect of 19th-century American life.

Séance Seatings

In addition to the séances, Mabry-Hazen House also hosts the open-to-the-public House of Tarot, a 40’x60’ walled and lighted tent that offers tarot readings and Halloween vendors! No reservation is needed to come browse the wares and get your cards read!

House of Tarot Times

• Thursday, oct 23, 2025

  • 6:00pm - 9:30pm; Open to the Public

• Friday, oct 24, 2025

  • 6:00pm - 10:30pm; Open to the Public

• Saturday, oct 25, 2025

  • 6:00pm - 10:30pm; Open to the Public

  • 7:30pm - 8:30pm; “The Good Death: Victorian Mourning Practices” Talk by Karen Peterman

• Sunday, oct 26, 2025

  • 6:00pm - 9:00pm; Open to the Public

Tarot Readers

Tarot Reading Vouchers are sold a la carte at $10 per voucher. Cash, card, and Venmo accepted.

Previous years’ readers include:

• East S.M.

• Pamona Sparrow

• Stephanie Bibey

• Josh Hinkin

• Bobbi Stout

• Courtney Lozano

• Frank Callo

• Donald Fenestre-Marek

• Madam Maxmilian Julius

• Murph

• Whitney Petelka

Photos by Taryn Ferro of Aw, Snap! Photography.

A Brief History of Spiritualism

In the early decades of Mabry-Hazen House’s history, Spiritualism, a new religious movement aimed at proving the immortality of the soul by communicating with the spirits of the dead, spread in popularity across the United States. It gave many solace during a time of grief, for others proved a form of entertainment, and for some a livelihood earned from the credulous. In many peoples’ eyes, it even provided empirical proof of the immortality of the soul and life after death.

Claiming an ability to speak with the dead, mediums conducted séances for the curious and devout alike and ostensibly offered empirical evidence of manifestation of spirits. By 1897, spiritualism was said to have more than eight million followers in the United States and Europe, mostly drawn from the middle and upper classes.

Unfortunately, the height of the Spiritualist movement was riddled with cases of fraud. True believers and practitioners were often overshadowed by crooks and con artists who preyed on those who wanted to speak with their deceased loved ones. Although its popularity diminished, Spiritualism remains a vibrant religion today and inspired numerous other spiritual and religious movements. New age philosophies, theosophy, and present-day psychics and mediums trace their lineage to Spiritualism.

The Mabry-Hazen family were no strangers to Spiritualism. In 1868, Joseph A. Mabry attended séances performed by Spiritualist, Madame Mansfield. Evelyn Hazen, last descendant to live in Mabry-Hazen House, was a believer and practitioner of several offshoots of the Spiritualist religion and a small temporary exhibit will be on display showcasing artifacts from this theme.

Mabry-Hazen House may photograph or video visitors for educational and promotional purposes. Attendance to a Mabry-Hazen House event constitutes the attendee’s consent regarding the possibility of appearing in Museum marketing materials.