What We Do

Our mission to preserve and disseminate spiritualist pasts, presents, and futures takes on a 3-pronged approach:

  1. Research + Archives

  2. Education + Outreach

  3. Contemporary Field Work

Research + Archives

Our collection started in the 19th century when founder Cyrus Rossignol began collecting spiritualist ephemera from his own experiences and others. Many of those objects are now contained in the Azimuth Collection. The goal of our Research + Archives Department is to catalog, research, and share the contents of this fascinating collection, as well as acquire new objects related to established collections.

Artist unknown, automatic drawing, c. 1867, watercolor and ink on paper, 9 x 12 in.

One of the oldest objects in the entirety of the Luscinia Historical Society’s collection, this drawing has little contextual information to understand what is occurring.

Object #JP.SD.1

Artist unknown, automatic drawing, c. 1885-95, 8 x 10 in. Watercolor and ink on paper.

Object #AZ1084.P.2.

Education + Outreach

Through exhibition and events, our staff brings the Luscinia Historical Society outside of the archives and into the lives of every day people. To stay up to date on exhibitions and events, visit our News blog.

Field Work

Starting in 2026, the Luscinia Historical Society has expanded its operations to include field work in exploring and researching the paranormal, the weird, and the unexplainable. If you have any information related to the phenomenon referenced in our various collections, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Alleged sighting of das rosenungetüm, also known as the Terrifying Pink Thing, North Fairmount neighborhood, Cincinnati, 2022. Photographer identity and whereabouts currently unknown.