The Stratford Knockings

In 1850, the household of Reverend Eliakim Phelps in Stratford, Connecticut, experienced a dramatic poltergeist outbreak. Objects moved, figures appeared posed from clothing, and the phenomena lasted for over a year, attracting investigators from across the country.

The Family

Reverend Phelps was a respected Presbyterian minister. His second wife and their children lived in a large house in Stratford. The family was devout and respectable, making the events all the more shocking.

The Beginning

On March 10, 1850, the family returned from church to find their home in chaos. Furniture was overturned. A figure had been constructed from clothing to appear as a woman kneeling in prayer.

The Phenomena

Over the following months, objects flew through rooms. Writings appeared on walls. The clothing figures multiplied, sometimes appearing within locked rooms. Fires started spontaneously. Loud knocking echoed through the house.

The Investigation

The case attracted national attention. Investigators came from across America. Some concluded the phenomena were genuine; others suspected the Phelps children. No definitive determination was made.

The Focus

The phenomena appeared to center on the Phelps’s twelve-year-old son Harry. Activity was strongest when he was present. He was never caught producing phenomena, but the connection was unmistakable.

Assessment

The Stratford case remains one of the most famous American poltergeist incidents of the nineteenth century. The presence of a minister lent credibility while the child-focused activity suggested the classic poltergeist pattern.