LENOX, Mass. — Kathryn Sheehan, Executive Director of the Hart Cluett Museum and Troy City Historian returns to speak at Ventfort Hall this summer on Spiritualism in the Gilded Age. 

 

Her talk at Ventfort Hall is on Tuesday, June 25 at 4 pm. Tea will be served after her presentation.

 

Spiritualism was a religious movement postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living. The Spiritualist Movement began in the 19th century and persisted into the early 20th century. It was characterized by a pop culture fascination with mediums and séances, and patronized by a number of otherwise prominent individuals including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

 

A native of Troy, Kathryn is Executive Director of the Hart Cluett Museum, formerly the Rensselaer County Historical Society. Her career began as an intern from the public history program at SUNY Albany in 1986.  She is also the Rensselaer County and Troy City Historian. Kathryn has researched and lectured on a number of Rensselaer County history topics and has presented her work on local radio and television as well as the History Channel, C-Span, Russian and Japanese Network television.  She resides in the historic district in downtown Troy. When not working on history tours and lectures Kathryn can be found exploring the many cemeteries in Rensselaer County or doing photography for her upcoming book, Architecture Worth Saving in Rensselaer County Revisited, 50 Years Later.

 

Tickets are $40 for members and with advance reservation; $45 day of; $22 for students 22 and under. Ticket pricing includes access to the mansion throughout the day of this event from 10 am to 4 pm. Reservations are strongly encouraged as seats are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations visit hyttps://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call us at (413) 637-3206. Please note that all tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.