A 1920s souvenir postcard from Camp Chesterfield depicting three spirit faces.
Camp Chesterfield is a Spiritualist community located in Chesterfield, Indiana, approximately one hour northeast of Indianapolis. Founded in 1886, the camp offers church services, mediumship, faith healing, and psychic readings for patrons year-round.
The camp was established by Dr. John Westerfield, a Spiritualist who earned a living promoting the services of mediums and clairvoyants throughout Indiana. Westerfield originally converted to Spiritualism in 1855 when his only child, John Jr., passed away at the age of 14.
During his period of grief, Westerfield journeyed to Frazier’s Grove, a Spiritualist camp in Vicksburg, Michigan. The visit inspired him to form the Indiana Association of Spiritualists and later establish a camp for its followers.
Camp Chesterfield began as a collection of tents and ramshackle buildings. Over the past 100 years, the community has evolved into a sprawling development of cottages and lodges that accommodate both mediums and seasonal guests.
In 1976, medium M. Lamar Keene confessed to widespread fraud at Camp Chesterfield. According to his book The Psychic Mafia, visitors are required to provide their full name, and the names of lost loved ones they wish to contact, on a sheet of paper before entry. This information is then kept in a storehouse and distributed to mediums throughout the community for use in psychic readings.
This claim was further supported by magician Joe Nickell, who in March 2002 conducted a sting operation on mediums in Camp Chesterfield. In a report published in The Skeptical Inquirer, Nickell describes writing false facts on his entry form and then receiving psychic readings based upon the phony information he provided.
Despite allegations of fraudulence, Camp Chesterfield remains a popular destination for Spiritualists in the Midwestern United States. Visit www.campchesterfield.net to learn more about its history or to book your reading today!
