Answer: The First Association of Spiritualists of Philadelphia.

Kate and Margaret Fox established the Spiritualist faith in 1848 in Hydesville, New York, a few miles outside of Rochester.  The Fox sisters’ Spiritualists beliefs centered on the idea that spirits could be contacted through mediums.

The First Association of Spiritualists of Philadelphia first met in January 1852 and signed its official constitution on July 24, 1864, making it one of the oldest Spiritualist associations in the world. In 1865, the Spiritualists held their National Convention in Philadelphia.  The central theme of the convention was to review the proper setup of the Spiritualists network.

The association held most of its early meetings and services in numerous halls around Philadelphia. One in particular came to be known as Harmonial Hall. In 1901, the association purchased a building at 12th and Thompson Streets and dedicated it as the Temple of the First Association of Spiritualists.  In 1902, the association held its Golden Jubilee to commemorate the first meetings.  In recognition of this achievement, the association received greetings from the President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, and was given the privilege of planting a tree in Independence Square just outside of Independence Hall.

HSP has a small collection of records from the First Association of Spiritualists of Philadelphia (#3089) that includes detailed scrapbook, printed materials, and the constitution of the organization, as well as pamphlets, newspapers, and magazines documenting other Spiritualist groups in the Delaware Valley.