| |
Davenport,
The Brothers
Ira Erastus Davenport
(1839-1911) and his younger brother, William Henry Harrison Davenport (1841-1877), were
two of the most spectacular
mediums of the 19th century. Their stage act, with its
demonstration of apparently supernatural powers, caused intense excitement and
controversy. They first came to public notice while they were still small boys, in the
wake of the curious events at the farm of the Fox family in Hydesville, New York. Previous
occupants of the farmhouse had been troubled by mysterious knocks in the night. In 1848
one of the Fox children, Kate, allegedly challenged the 'spirit' responsible for the
knocks to rap as many times as she snapped her fingers. This the spirit did, and
eventually a code of raps was established.
The Fox
rappings aroused great interest, some of which spread to
the Davenport brothers, in nearby Buffalo, who were able to produce sounds from musical
instruments which were hung near them in a darkened room, while they were tied up with
heavy ropes. In their later, more elaborate display the brothers were tied hand and foot
at opposite ends of a giant box, with doors. When the doors were shut, bells were heard to
ring, musical instruments inside the box were played and 'spirit hands' appeared at an
opening in one of the doors.
Whether the Davenports had any genuine
mediumistic powers, or whether they were nothing more than brilliant showmen and
illusionists, was hotly debated. Many people believed in them, and some still do, but
stage conjurors of the time, including J. N. Maskelyne and Houdini, the great escape
artist who became a violent opponent of spiritualism, were convinced
that they could duplicate the Davenports' effects. In a letter which he wrote to Houdini
in 1909, Ira Davenport sat on the fence: ‘We never in public affirmed our belief in
spiritualism, that we regarded as no business of the public, nor did we offer our
entertainment as the results of sleight of hand, nor on the other hand as spiritualism, we
let our friends and foes settle that as best they could between themselves.' The friends
and foes never did settle it, and have not yet.
Related
audio,
videos
and
books.
Further info:
The Davenport Brothers: Religious
Practitioners, Entertainers, or Frauds?
The Davenport Brothers - Were they Mediums or
Magicians?
The Davenport Brothers at the Melbourne Town
Hall, 1876.
More
info.
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
This website is best viewed with the latest
versions of
Microsoft
Internet Explorer,
Firefox or
Netscape.
Occultopedia
makes extensive use of
Flash and Scripting in its pages and interface. Make certain your browser
permissions are set
accordingly and that you have the latest
Flash plug-in for the full experience, proper look and accurate
layout.
If using
Microsoft
Internet Explorer 7, clicking (or pressing the SPACEBAR or ENTER) on the
Flash graphics is necessary to activate it. If using the latest versions
of
Firefox or
Netscape, adjusting the browser
trust permissions to "ENABLE MAXIMUM SITE FUNCTIONALITY" is required to fully
enjoy Occultopedia's features and
Flash graphics. You can do it with confidence. This site does not contain any viruses or any malicious software
or script.
|
|
As you may have noticed, Occultopedia is being updated.
Navigation areas are completed, but the word definition pages are not. The
layout in these pages might not look as good as they should. Updating them
may take a while, so please, be patient and understanding. I am only one
person working on this site in my spare time.
As soon as these updates are concluded I will begin setting up the
Forums, so we can all discuss the
occult, paranormal and extraordinary, and whatever else we please.
Registration will be required.
Occultopedia's images and art are also undergoing an adjustment to
Flash based graphics. This process may take some time as well, so again, be
patient and understanding.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Occultopedia is the genuine article, the
original and the best internet index of the extraordinary and uncanny,
shamelessly copied by many, but never equaled. Online since the
early 90s — at first in a free web space provider, and in 1997 finally
with its own domain name and hosting — Occultopedia still is the
principal online resource for those looking for the unexplained, the
curious and the unusual. |
|
Occultopedia respects your privacy. As
such, no cookies or any other tracking software will be installed as a
part of this website's original programming. I do not seek to obtain any personal information
beyond what is volunteered through electronic communications
(e.g. emails & forms).
|
|
Occultopedia may appear to be a for profit site, but my site is
not really a commercial one. All of the commercial links are from affiliate
programs, and the little revenue I get from these is to pay for hosting,
bandwidth — that can be quite costly if you have a lot of traffic, graphics and
pages — and any other expenses related to Occultopedia's upkeep and maintenance.
For more details, visit my
ordering
information page.
Occultopedia is a
FREE online
resource available to the whole world. Usage of my word definitions and articles
by educational institutions, teachers and students alike, is here by granted. For more information, please consult my
intellectual property rights, warranties and
disclaimers information page. Support Occultopedia and make it your
online shopping
destination. If you prefer, you can also make a donation.
|
|
HELP FOOT THE BILL: this website
is created and maintained by one guy, who also pays the hosting bill.
Please donate if you like and/or use Occultopedia.
|
|
Participate in Occultopedia and submit a word
definition or article for the occult encyclopedia at my
entry submission
page. If you would like to suggest a web site or page for
addition into Occultopedia's links database, please go to my
URL submission page.
|
|
|
|
|
 Site
creation and design
by M. V. G.
|
Copyright
© Occultopedia™ . All rights reserved. |
| |
