CHILLICOTHE, OH — The Ross County Heritage Center will welcome award-winning journalist and author Sharon Hatfield on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 3 p.m. for a free public talk exploring the rise of spiritualism in 19th-century America.
Hatfield will discuss her book, Enchanted Ground: The Spirit Room of Jonathan Koons, which examines the life of Jonathan Koons, an Ohio farmer-turned-medium whose secluded cabin near Athens became a famed destination for séances and spirit communications during the antebellum spiritualist movement.
Koons drew believers and skeptics alike from across the country, with some visitors traveling from as far as New Orleans to witness his “spirit room,” which was said to rival the spectacles of P.T. Barnum.
Hatfield’s work reveals how Koons’s story represents more than mysticism—it reflects the cultural and religious shifts of 19th-century America, when spiritualism offered people new ways to think, believe, and connect during a time of change.
Copies of Enchanted Ground will be available for purchase and signing after the presentation.
Event Details
📍 Location: Ross County Heritage Center, 45 W. 5th St., Chillicothe
📅 Date: Saturday, October 11, 2025
🕒 Time: 3:00 p.m.
💲 Admission: Free and open to the public
For more information, contact the Ross County Heritage Center at (740) 772-1936 or visit rosscountyhistorical.org.
