Houdini séance in Marshall on Halloween: the American Museum of Magic marks 100 years since the escape artist died

MARSHALL, Mich. — The American Museum of Magic in downtown Marshall will hold a Houdini séance on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, the 100th anniversary of the escape artist’s death.

The event runs from noon to 3 p.m. at the museum, 107 E. Michigan Ave. Harry Houdini died at Grace Hospital in Detroit on Halloween in 1926, the museum notes.

What happens. Following the notes of the first Houdini séance hosted by museum founder Bob Lund in 1978, an invited circle of guests will gather around Houdini’s milk-can escape “in hopes of a visit from his spirit,” according to the museum’s ticket page.

Tickets. Seats for guests who want to watch are $30; the price rose from $20 on Oct. 1, the museum says, and seating is limited. A schedule of Houdini events kept by the Seance Houdini site, run by Abbott’s Magic, lists the higher-priced VIP “outer circle” seats as sold out. Tickets are sold through the museum’s website, or by calling 269-781-7570 Wednesday through Sunday between noon and 4 p.m.

Why a séance. Before he died, Houdini, who spent his last years exposing fraudulent mediums, and his wife, Bess, agreed on a coded message so a real contact from beyond could be told from a fake, according to the Seance Houdini site. In the decade after his death, magicians supervised 17 official séances, most on the anniversary, and Bess attended most of them. After a worldwide séance broadcast by radio in 1936, she said Houdini had not come through. Magicians have kept up the Halloween tradition ever since; the site says traditional séances are usually held between 1 and 2 p.m. on Oct. 31 and gives 1:26 p.m. as the time of his death.

More magic nearby. Marshall magician John C. Sherwood lists “The Magic Cabin,” a museum fundraiser with Neil Foster Ring No. 89 of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Great Escape Stage Company, 110 E. Michigan Ave. The museum’s speaker series closes Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. with “Houdini!” presented by John Cox.

Sources:
American Museum of Magic, events page (Houdini séance at noon Oct. 31; Nov. 19 speaker series; hours), https://americanmuseumofmagic.com/events/
American Museum of Magic, “100th Anniversary Houdini Seance” ticket page (invited circle, milk-can escape, Bob Lund’s 1978 séance, Grace Hospital, ticket prices), https://american-museum-of-magic.square.site/product/100th-anniversary-houdini-seance/ONKZCFHUAIF3OMM7EVKN3KI4
Choose Marshall, “100th Anniversary Houdini Seance” (date, noon to 3 p.m., address, organizer phone), https://choosemarshall.com/events/100th-anniversary-houdini-seance/
Seance Houdini (Abbott’s Magic), schedule (VIP outer circle sold out, 1:26 p.m., phone hours), https://seancehoudini.com/schedule.html and history (coded message, 17 official séances, 1936 radio séance, 1-2 p.m. tradition), https://seancehoudini.com/
John C. Sherwood, public performance schedule (“The Magic Cabin,” Oct. 24), https://mysteryvisits.com/public-schedule
Photo: Skvader, “American Museum of Magic interior downstairs 01.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Museum_of_Magic_interior_downstairs_01.jpg

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