Enchanted ground : the spirit room of Jonathan Koons / Sharon Hatfield.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hatfield, Sharon, 1956- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Spiritualists--Ohio--Biography.

Spiritualists.

Koons, Jonathan, 1811-1893.

Koons, Jonathan.

Ohio.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 342 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Athens, Ohio : Swallow Press, [2018]

Summary:

"In Enchanted Ground, Sharon Hatfield brings to life the true story of a nineteenth-century farmer-turned-medium, Jonathan Koons, one of thousands of mediums throughout the antebellum United States. In the hills outside Athens, Ohio, Koons built a house where it was said the dead spoke to the living, and where ancient spirits communicated the wisdom of the ages. Curious believers, in homespun and in city attire, traveled from as far as New Orleans to a remote Appalachian cabin whose marvels would rival any of P.T. Barnum's attractions. Yet Koons's story is much more than showmanship and sleight of hand. His enterprise, not written about in full until now, embodied the excitement and optimism of citizens breaking free from societal norms. Reform-minded dreamers were drawn to Koons's seances as his progressive brand of religion displaced the gloomy Calvinism of previous generations. As heirs to the Second Great Awakening, which stretched from New York State to the far reaches of the Northwest Territory, the curious, the faithful, and Koons himself were part of a larger, uniquely American moment that still marks the cultural landscape today"-- Provided by publisher

Contents:

The Frenchman's visit

"The place of my nativity"

Putting down roots

"A striking specimen of beauty"

At the spirits' command

A buried man's instructions

The trumpet medium

Communication from angels

Allies and kin

Mountain tea

Sustaining "Brother Koons"

The mesmeric potion

Not one single copper

Koons, king, and company

"An artful and designing rogue"

Galileo in eclipse

An arc of golden roses

"Their humbug art"

The psychometrist

Little Egypt

"The venerable Johnathan Koons."

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [333]-336) and index.

ISBN:

9780804040969

0804040966

OCLC:

1057894692