Step back into the age of Spiritualism as the historic Mabry-Hazen House hosts “A Victorian Séance Experience”.
The experience takes place at the house overlooking downtown Knoxville on Oct. 23-26, 2025, inside the front parlors of the historic home, built in 1858.
This spooky, yet fascinating cultural moment is celebrating its eighth year as an award-winning, immersive Halloween event.
Patrick Hollis, Executive Director of Mabry-Hazen House, said the house was the home of Joseph Maybry, a prominent Knoxville businessman, and his wife Laura.
Mabry and his brother-in-law, William G. Swan, donated the initial land where the city's current Market Square resides. Mabry was also president of the Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad, raising millions of dollars in funding for railroad construction in the region.
Hollis said Mabry once attended a seance in 1868 and admitted this in front of the Tennessee Congressional Legislature, under oath.
“But not for the reason you'd expect,” Hollis said. “He wasn’t trying to speak with a loved one to bid a last goodbye or to get closure. He attended the séance so he could find out about the future of the bond market. He was trying to play with the spirits to make a profit.”
During the Civil War Mabry assisted the Confederate soldiers. But when the Union Army occupied Knoxville in 1863, Mabry quickly switched sides, because he found it to be more lucrative, Hollis said.
Hollis said Mabry, his son Joseph Mabry III and his rival Thomas O’Connor were killed in a duel which has since been dubbed, “The infamous gunfire on Gay Street.”
He said they have an event planned for Saturday Oct. 18, providing the true account of the shooting.
“We’re hosting a gunfight walking tour that day,” he said. “We’ll teach guests about all the details of the duel and walk around the downtown area to show them what took place and where. They’ll learn what ultimately led to that gunfight.”
Hollis said descendants of Joseph Mabry did bring the Spiritualist movement to the Mabry-Hazen House.
“His granddaughters Marie and Evelyn Hazen were followers of Spiritualism, Theosophy, New Ageism, and Christian Mysticism,” he said. “So, our program draws all of that together, to discuss the prominence of Spiritualism, but also to give some familiarity with what some religious historians call the Third Great Awakening, which happened in the 1870s.”
Under the guidance of a “Victorian medium,” the small-group program will reenact a nineteenth-century Spiritualist séance filled with “mysterious and startling wonders.” Sitters will join a Victorian investigator to view historic “demonstrations” of mediumship, relying on primary sources from the nineteenth century.
“Including some of the parlor tricks they used,” Hollis said. “I've researched how they performed certain things like the wrappings heard on tables, or how they did the table tilting and other aspects. Skeptics and people looking expose frauds wrote books about it.”
In addition to educational and for entertainment purposes only séances, the event will also offer an open-to-the-public House of Tarot. Guests can enter the 40’x60’ walled and lighted tent and sit for tarot readings or shop local Halloween vendors. Fortune tellers, astrologers, and tarot card readers will be available for interested parties for a nominal fee. No reservations are required to browse the wares or have your cards read.
“We want people to have a sense of the past and present through this event,” Hollis said. “Spiritualism in the United States didn’t go extinct. It evolved into and merged with other beliefs that are alive and influence our culture to this day.”
Along with the séance reenactments and House of Tarot, free history lectures and scary story readings will be held each evening. Halloween-themed silent films will be shown outdoors on the lawn (weather permitting). The Tennessee Archive for Moving Images and Sound (TAMIS) will share a special Halloween film with archival footage from the 1930s to the 1960s. See the online event page for more information on times and details for free events each night.
Séances occur every 15 minutes starting at 6:30 p.m. Sitters must select a specific date and time to reserve a seat at the table. Each session is limited to 7 sitters, and it is strongly recommended that tickets be purchased in advance. All sitters must be 10 years or older.
Tickets are $25 per person and $15 for children (ages 10-16). Sitters should arrive at least 15 minutes before their reservation. Tickets can be purchased at www.mabryhazen.com/seance
Performance times:
- THU, Oct. 24 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm
- FRI, Oct. 25 - 6:30pm - 10:30pm
- SAT, Oct. 26 - 6:30pm - 10:30pm
- SUN, Oct. 27 - 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Service fees apply for online purchases. Payments with cash or checks are available. Call 865-522-8661 to arrange payment.