Houdini Centennial: John Sherwood Plans Séance at Michigan Museum
A century after the magician died in Detroit, a museum director is hosting an event to contact his spirit using a 100-year-old prop.
By Marek Collins ·
John Sherwood, director of the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan, is preparing to hold a séance on Halloween to attempt contact with the spirit of Harry Houdini. The event marks the 100th anniversary of the magician's death. Sherwood will use a 100-year-old metal milk can from Houdini's workshop as the focal point of the ritual.
Houdini died on Oct. 31, 1926, at Grace Hospital in Detroit. He had performed in the city 19 times between 1894 and 1926. His final show took place at the Garrick Theater. According to Jeremy Dimick, a curator at the Detroit Historical Museum, Houdini was too weak to apply his makeup before the performance and collapsed during intermissions. Staff carried him from the theater to his hotel.
Doctors at Grace Hospital diagnosed Houdini with a ruptured appendix. He underwent two surgeries before dying several days later. The physical cause likely stemmed from an incident in Montreal, where a college wrestler punched Houdini in the stomach. Houdini had boasted he could withstand such blows, but the wrestler struck before the magician could tense his muscles. Dorothy Young, Houdini's former assistant, recalled in a 2004 interview that the wrestlers did not give him a chance to protect himself.
Houdini's death in Detroit has left a physical legacy, though the sites are mostly gone. The Garrick Theater, his hotel, and Grace Hospital have been demolished. The funeral home that embalmed him became a girls' art school, which also closed. Juanita Hammond, who headed the school, led tours to a storage room where Houdini was laid out. She noted that some students feared the magician's presence lingered in the kitchen.
Sherwood's séance will focus on the milk can, a prop used in Houdini's act where he would jump into a water-filled container locked with six Mastodon locks. Houdini would escape before the audience expected, then emerge theatrically panting to trigger cheers. Sherwood said previous séances have used the can with varying success. One group attempted to lure the spirit by placing a lox and bagel sandwich in the can, appealing to Houdini's Jewish heritage.
Houdini's wife, Bess, held séances for a decade after his death, despite his public exposure of psychics. At a Halloween séance in 1936, she reported receiving a sign from him. She later stated that this proved his belief that the dead cannot return, as she had received no other communication in ten years.
Sherwood is holding the current séance because the centennial date may prompt the magician to appear for showmanship. He described Houdini's death as a publicity stunt that grew the mythology surrounding the escape artist. The event is scheduled for Oct. 31, 2026.
Source: NPR
