The Birth of Plymouth Spiritualist Church

In 1893 several prominent Spiritualists met in Chicago to form the National Spiritualist Association. The leaders hoped that by forming an organization it could help promote the teachings of Spiritualism to the greater public, and also assist in preventing fraudulent mediums from taking advantage of the public. Among these early leaders were W. H. Bach, James Martin Peebles, and Cora L. V. Scott. 

Each state would eventually form their own auxiliary organization, and in 1897 the New York State Association of Spiritualists was formed. This auxiliary would then change its name in 1914 to the General Assembly of Spiritualists. 

In Rochester, an organization named the First Spiritual Society of Rochester (sometimes documented as First Spiritual Church of Rochester) was chartered through the National Spiritualist Association as a “lay society” and met in various locations throughout the city, such as the home of Mrs. Roxie H. Joslyn (a fairly well to do Spiritualist Medium and Healer) and also in various Halls and Hotels when they planned large lectures or celebrations.

In the early 1900s the First Spiritual Society began plans to purchase a permanent building for their meetings.  In 1906 under the spiritual leadership of Rev. Benjamin Austin the Society purchased a historic Rochester Church on Plymouth Ave that had formerly belonged to a liberal Protestant congregation that had been temporarily renting their building to a small Restorationist Christian congregation known as the Megiddo Mission. 

The new church was officially registered as the First Spiritual Church of Rochester. However, the church almost immediately became known as Plymouth Spiritualist Church; the name was eventually legally changed to Plymouth Spiritualist Church in 1913.

Up until this point, Spiritualists had never truly organized as churches. There had been Societies, and Lyceums, acting as community centers, clubs, or educational organizations, where Spiritualists might meet and give lectures or demonstrate mediumship. There had also been camps, revival meetings, or temporary 'pop up churches' in rented lecture halls,  but not an organized church with a permanent building with a mission to minister to a public congregation.

Plymouth Church became the very first church that had been organized by a group of Spiritualists, making Plymouth the “Mother Church of Modern Spiritualism”

Plymouth Spiritualist Church quickly became known worldwide as the “International Shrine of Spiritualism.” Rochester became not only one of the main centers of Spiritualism from a historical perspective, but also from a religious one.

Plymouth Spiritualist Church was considered one of the most beautiful churches in Rochester, with an imposing bell tower and clock that many citizens could set their watches too, the great shrine to Spiritualism was quite literally the heart of the Spiritualist movement in the United States. The building could fit about 1200 individuals, contained a magnificent library, and had a massive pipe organ with a full choir to match. 

The pulpit, dating back to the days of the church's progressive Protestant heritage, claimed an impressive array of speakers already well before the property became part of the Spiritualist movement in 1906, particularly including Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony.

Plymouth Spiritualist Church was a representative of a Golden Age of Spiritualism, with Rochester, NY at it's Center. It lasted as the unquestioned center for Spiritualism for almost 50 years until the congregation moved from it's location in the 1950s (which I will write about).