Founded in 1886 during the heyday of the Spiritualist movement in America, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Camp Chesterfield bills itself as “the world’s largest center of spiritualist phenomena.”

The town of Chesterfield looks like any other Indiana small town – it has a short “Main Street” with a convenience store, farm implement dealer and gas station. Most of the ranch-style homes sport a basketball hoop on the garage, and there is a Protestant church on nearly every corner. Tucked two blocks north of downtown Chesterfield in a wooded enclave is an entire four-block neighborhood, the residents of which all are practicing trance mediums and psychic readers. As in many other communities, a chapel serves as its anchor, and a small, well-landscaped gate graces the entrance. This community comprises Camp Chesterfield.

The primary reason to visit Camp Chesterfield is to obtain a reading, and the Spiritualists offer trance, trumpet or clairvoyant readings on an individual or group basis. Visitors are encouraged to make an appointment prior to arriving, as the readers all work from their homes. The camp maintains a website that lists the names, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of the practitioners, making it easy to call ahead and book an appointment.

The camp also maintains an active schedule of events, including Psychic Fairs, special guest speakers and readers, and educational seminars. There are classes offered in trance and trumpet mediumship, channeling, enhancing your psychic ability, and covering other metaphysical topics. Details on any of these events are available through the Administration Office, either by telephone or e-mail.

The Tree of Life bookstore maintains an inventory of crystals, incense, books, and tools for contacting the “other side.”  They also inventory and sell an eclectic collection of spiritual art, from replicas of Egyptian pyramids to a St. Cecelia bas-relief wall hanging. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, they can order it for you. The bookstore also hosts a small reading library, which houses volumes from the late 19th century to the present on psychic phenomena, trance mediumship, reincarnation, self-hypnosis and Spiritualism. Writings by Arthur Ford and Edgar Cayce rest beside books by Norman Vincent Peale and Mother Teresa. Periodicals from the early days are also available for perusing.

If an overnight stay is on the agenda, there is low-cost lodging on the campus at the Western Motel, or travelers can utilize lodging available in nearby Anderson or Indianapolis.

Think of Indiana and you normally think of corn and car races. You can now add clairvoyance and channeling to the list.