Petaluma Revives Its Houdini Séance on the Eve of the Escape Artist's 100th Death Anniversary
A century after Houdini died, the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum is reviving a quirky local tradition: a séance to try to reach him.
By the Bay Area Brief staff · Edited by Seamus McKenna · · 3 min read
Courthouse Square in downtown Redwood City on a sunny day. Photo: BrokenSphere / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped, resized and color-graded). Archive photo of the area; not a photo of the events in this story.
Harry Houdini, the most celebrated escape artist of the 20th century, died of peritonitis in a Detroit hospital on Oct. 31, 1926, after his appendix ruptured. Saturday marks 100 years since his death.
The history
Late in life, Houdini campaigned against fraudulent mediums. HISTORY notes that he also made a pact with his wife and friends: whoever died first would try to send a message back.
In 1964, Petaluma newspaper columnist Bill Soberanes organized a séance to try to reach Houdini's spirit. According to the Argus-Courier, witnesses say Houdini "did not pick up the call."
Soberanes, who died in 2003, kept the séance going for decades.
The revival
When: Friday, Oct. 30, 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Petaluma Historical Library and Museum, 20 Fourth St.
Tickets: $40 to $100.
The program: a reception, then a séance led by local medium Jenessa Wyatt. North Bay illusionist Chris Britt and tarot reader Shera Sever also appear.
Drinks: Griffo Distillery and Moonlight Brewing.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
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