The belief system is based on the notion that spirits of the dead can and do communicate with the living, and that the afterlife is not stagnant. In those days, his camp served as a kind of spiritual retreat for affluent people and as a place of education about Spiritualism. He was well-known at the time for putting people in trances and communicating with spirits from beyond the grave.
The camp was founded in 1875 by a traveling medium named George Colby, who was originally from New York. Unofficially dubbed the “psychic capital of the world,” Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp is known for its unique historic homes and mysterious beginnings.