A Ghostly Closure? The Strange History of Brinkley Female College, Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism, and the Terminal Effects of Sensationalist Journalism
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 dece...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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OpenED Network
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Curriculum Studies Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://curriculumstudies.org/index.php/CS/article/view/110 |
| _version_ | 1797915099598422016 |
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| author | R. Eric Platt Hannah Holliman Paris |
| author_facet | R. Eric Platt Hannah Holliman Paris |
| author_sort | R. Eric Platt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
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.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T12:36:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7b604e0653214c37b3321dc4b2c3de62 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2690-2788 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T12:36:23Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | OpenED Network |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Curriculum Studies Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-7b604e0653214c37b3321dc4b2c3de622023-02-15T16:14:37ZengOpenED NetworkJournal of Curriculum Studies Research2690-27882022-02-014110.46303/jcsr.2022.6A Ghostly Closure? The Strange History of Brinkley Female College, Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism, and the Terminal Effects of Sensationalist JournalismR. Eric Platt0Hannah Holliman Paris1Department of Leadership, University of Memphis, TN, United States.Department of Leadership, University of Memphis, TN, United States 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. https://curriculumstudies.org/index.php/CS/article/view/110college closureSpiritualismBrinkley Female CollegeSouthern women's higher educationnineteenth-century sensationalist journalismhigher education history |
| spellingShingle | R. Eric Platt Hannah Holliman Paris A Ghostly Closure? The Strange History of Brinkley Female College, Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism, and the Terminal Effects of Sensationalist Journalism Journal of Curriculum Studies Research college closure Spiritualism Brinkley Female College Southern women's higher education nineteenth-century sensationalist journalism higher education history |
| title | A Ghostly Closure? The Strange History of Brinkley Female College, Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism, and the Terminal Effects of Sensationalist Journalism |
| title_full | A Ghostly Closure? The Strange History of Brinkley Female College, Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism, and the Terminal Effects of Sensationalist Journalism |
| title_fullStr | A Ghostly Closure? The Strange History of Brinkley Female College, Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism, and the Terminal Effects of Sensationalist Journalism |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Ghostly Closure? The Strange History of Brinkley Female College, Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism, and the Terminal Effects of Sensationalist Journalism |
| title_short | A Ghostly Closure? The Strange History of Brinkley Female College, Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism, and the Terminal Effects of Sensationalist Journalism |
| title_sort | ghostly closure the strange history of brinkley female college nineteenth century spiritualism and the terminal effects of sensationalist journalism |
| topic | college closure Spiritualism Brinkley Female College Southern women's higher education nineteenth-century sensationalist journalism higher education history |
| url | https://curriculumstudies.org/index.php/CS/article/view/110 |
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