A Ghostly Closure? The Strange History of Brinkley Female College, Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism, and the Terminal Effects of Sensationalist Journalism

R Eric Platt,Hannah Holliman Paris

doi:10.46303/jcsr.2022.6

Abstract

In 1871, Brinkley Female College in Memphis, Tennessee, closed due to a ghost story, regional interest in Spiritualism, and sensationalist journalism that harmed the short-lived academy. Spiritualism—a religio-spiritual movement punctuated by medium-guided communications between the living and deceased—was well-followed, though often contested during the nineteenth century. Spiritualism grew in popularity in the American South due to mass deaths resulting from yearly epidemics and the American Civil War. At the same time, sensationalist print media was widespread, and newspaper firms profited from unchecked accounts of Spiritualist seances and supernatural encounters. In the midst of this, higher education had expanded across the state of Tennessee. In the early years of Memphis-based women’s higher education, newspapers stoked interest in the paranormal by publishing unverified events attributed to a local women’s college. Sensationalist, penny-dreadful newspaper accounts influenced public perceptions, caused enrollment decline at Brinkley Female College, and resulted in institutional closure. As such, this case study recounts an unusual catalytic moment within the context of heightened Spiritualistic belief and uncouth journalistic practices. Ultimately, this study seeks to detail the influence of regional religious practices and sensational journalism on institutional termination.

Highlights

Spiritualism—a religio-spiritual movement punctuated by medium-guided communications between the living and deceased—was wellfollowed, though often contested during the nineteenth century
Spiritualism grew in popularity in the American South due to mass deaths resulting from epidemics and the American Civil War
Reprinted in newspapers as far-flung as Manitowoc, Wisconsin ("An Exciting Story" 1871); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ("A Ghost at College" 1871); and New Orleans, Louisiana ("The Latest Ghost Story" 1871"), the article extolled that "South Memphis is in a furore [sic] of excitement over occurrences of a supernatural nature recently made public which concern the BRINKLEY FEMALE COLLEGE [emphasis in original] and its inmates" ("The Latest Ghost Story" 1871)

Summary

Introduction

On March 5, 1871, the Daily Memphis Avalanche printed and circulated the strange tale of the "Brinkley Female College Ghost Story." Emphasized by titillating language that set an eerie tone, the newspaper account opened with the following question: "Do disembodied spirits haunt the scenes where they frequented while in the flesh? It is a mixed question; the theory that they do having as firm believers as it has disbelievers." The article continued, "We know of no one who has seen an article of that description [ghosts]—at least we never knew of one till [sic] now." The column continued with a description of bizarre events, "strange and startling incidents— incidents so strange they will scarcely be credited by the most credulous." The tale detailed students haunted by a ghost in a pale pink dress. ABSTRACT In 1871, Brinkley Female College in Memphis, Tennessee, closed due to a ghost story, regional interest in Spiritualism, and sensationalist journalism that harmed the short-lived academy. On March 5, 1871, the Daily Memphis Avalanche printed and circulated the strange tale of the "Brinkley Female College Ghost Story." Emphasized by titillating language that set an eerie tone, the newspaper account opened with the following question: "Do disembodied spirits haunt the scenes where they frequented while in the flesh?

Results

Conclusion