Special Virtual Tour: Mystics in Manhattan

Join us on October 24 to discover a hidden world of mystical beliefs and traditions in immigrant neighborhoods that would influence American ideas of the supernatural and otherworldly.

During early restoration of our tenement at 97 Orchard Street, we discovered dozens of handbills advertising the services of Professor Dora Meltzer. Operating a business out of her apartment in the building, Dora is described as “an unexcelled Palmist” and mind reader who for 15 cents, could tell you the past, present and future. On this special Halloween program, learn about 19th-century America’s growing obsession with Spiritualism and how immigrant women like Dora Meltzer carved out unique roles for themselves in the secret magical economy of the Lower East Side.