A TOWN in Florida, the United States, has been dubbed the “psychic capital of the world” where the majority of residents are mediums or spiritual healers.

    Founded in 1975 by George Colby, a spiritualist from New York, Cassadaga was initially intended as a retreat for his followers, but has since become home to around 100 people who believe they can contact the dead via seances and readings.

    Based on a mixture of Christianity, philosophy and science, followers of Spiritualism in Cassadaga spend up to 10 years honing their “sixth sense” which allows them to speak to spirits and carry out healing ceremonies at the local church.

    Spiritualism is based upon the belief that the body and soul are separate, and the principle that the soul lives on outside the body after death, with followers believing the soul can be contacted via tarot cards, palm readings and mediums.

    Followers believe that everyone can experience God directly and that each interpretation can be different, though all of them trace back to the same being — meaning Spiritualists will often refer to God as “Infinite Intelligence.”

    After being officially established as a community in 1894, Cassadaga continued to expand to include new houses, a post office, and even a hotel to accommodate visitors.

    However, the last of the town’s new buildings were completed in the 1930s, and most of the houses date back to the 1920s or older, making the town trapped in time.

    According to the town’s webpage, they take in around 15,000 visitors each year, some of whom stay in the hotel, others who come in by car from surrounding towns.

    Those visiting the hotel are thrown into the deep end of the Spiritualist experience, with mediums occupying the upper floors to provide readings and seances for the guests.

    Legend even has it that one of the rooms is haunted by the ghost of an Irish tenor named Arthur who lived in that room until his death.

    Some guests say they woke in the middle of the night to find his ghostly figure sitting and looking out of the windows, while other say he has turned lights on an off, the Globe and Mail reports.

    Wherever the spirit walks, he is said to leave the smell of gin and cigars behind.

    Designated an historic site on the National Register Of Historic Places in 1991, the community continues to offer its services to visitors.(SD-Agencies)