In which the characters of Crystal Haven share their expertise.
Harriet Munson here again. I’m finally recovered from the August blog tour. The phones at the Reading Room have been ringing constantly and I’ve had to start scheduling the walk-ins! I guess Violet Greer was right and even murder can be good publicity.
I have been answering a lot of questions about the history of Crystal Haven. All the newcomers act like this is a brand new city just because they recently discovered it. I can assure you the city has been around for many years.
Founded in 1850 by settlers making their way across the country, it was originally chosen for its calm inlet and easy access to Lake Michigan. Lumber was the major business back then. The Ottawa tribe felt the area was sacred and there were some bitter battles when people first settled here. Over the years there were may strange happenings. People received messages and premonitions. There were rumors that the area was haunted or possessed. Beach goers found crystals on their sandy walks, and those crystals seemed to reveal the future.
The rumors attracted spiritualists and in 1895 Frederick von Whittle visited and felt that the there was something special about the land. He started a spiritualist colony which thrived through the late 1920’s. When Agnes Greer’s family moved here, no one predicted that they would save the town both financially and spiritually. During the depression, Agnes’s father, Samuel Greer bought most of the land surrounding the town and kept the struggling economy afloat. Word of Agnes Greer’s gift spread so that by the 1940’s tourists were flocking here for news of their loved ones. The Greers saved Crystal Haven by allowing it to remain a spiritualist retreat right through World War II. After the war, the psychics and mediums decided to become more tourist oriented and began offering services, programs, and summer workshops.
It is no longer the “retreat” that Mr. von Whittle imagined, but it is a thriving city that boasts the largest number of psychic households in the country. Messages are given daily at Message Circle during the summer months. The Reading Room is open Monday through Saturday from 9 to 8, and Sundays noon to 6. We look forward to seeing you!
Family Fortune Mysteries 