Remembering Harry Houdini and his visit to Williamsport
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Halloween 2026 will mark a century since he died.
He was a magician who entertained millions with his sleight of hand tricks, daring escapes and his bold attacks against fraudulent spiritualists, psychics and mediums. At one point, this Mid-Western son of a rabbi was best friends with the author who created Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle.
One night, on October 9th, 1924, this mystifer spent time here in Lycoming County and a sign, on Pine Street in Williamsport, commemorates that visit.
When this unique individual died in 1926, experts and historians questioned whether it was murder, and his wife continued to await for a real sign from him from beyond the grave. He was Erik to his friends and family (especially to his mother), but to the rest of the world, he was known by the moniker of Harry Houdini.
An article found on Susquehanna Valley Girl Views detailed Houdini’s talk at the Pine Street Methodist Church, across from then Williamsport’s City Hall.
“‘Never, in the whole world, has there been found a genuine medium,’ declared Harry Houdini, world-famous magician and mystifier, who appeared last evening in the Pine Street Methodist church in the first number of the Ministerial lecture and concert course. He gave a most convincing address and expose of fraudulent spiritualistic phenomena before a capacity audience,” the author of a 1924 article reported.
It continued that “Houdini told the audience that he believes he has a message to deliver, and that, because of his unusual powers, has devoted the latter part of his career to exposing spiritualistic mediums. For some time in his own life, the magician acted as a professional medium, but, with the crimes which have been committed through the suggestion of mediums, inspired by ‘spirits,’ Houdini felt that he had an obligation to expose these people who were working so much trouble.”
Steve Hyde, a Montoursville-based magician, explained Houdini’s anger for these genuine fraudsters.
“He was hoping in all his heart that he would be able to contact his mother (who died in 1913 while he was in Denmark on tour) as well as other relatives,” Hyde said. “Every psychic that he went to and every medium gave him this false sense of hope. (Houdini) found out eventually that they were all just con artists and criminals so to speak and that just infuriated him.”
In the 19th and early 20th century, spiritualism was an activity to pass the time. This was in the days before radio and television.
In Hydesville, New York, the Fox Sisters began to claim they could communicate with the dead, Robert Damon Schneck said in a telephone interview. Schneck is known as America's Historian of the Strange, and his work inspired the horror film “The Bye Bye Man.”
"The sisters would talk with the spirit world in a series of knocking sounds people would hear on table tops, floorboards and walls,” Schneck said.
When asked why this became popular, Schneck said it was because “people in need would get instant answers.”
“Say someone prayed to God and asked for a response, many times they have to wait for a great deal of time before he would answer back,” Schneck said.
He added that with the increase in technology (such as trains, cars, telephone, use of electricity, etc.) the American Civil War, the Spanish-American War and then World War I, folks were searching for meaning and connection to the Great Beyond.
This was perfect for less than scrupulous individuals.
Hyde said that thanks to Houdini’s background, he was able to see the spiritualists’ trickery.
The magician of Montoursville further explained that Houdini would also send agents into these mediums and get fake readings, he would also use reformed spiritualists to explain the tricks of their fraudulent trade.
The tables where readings, seances and communications "with the dead" were actually tricked out with foot pedals and their partners would speak into metal tubes. Hyde said it was similar to the contraption in “The Wizard of Oz” when the Wizard was revealed to be a fraud.
“(My) business (of being a magician) has given me an intimate knowledge of stage illusions, together with many years of experience among show people of all types. My familiarity with the former, and what I have learned of the psychology of the latter, has placed me at a certain advantage in uncovering the natural explanation of feats that to the ignorant have seemed supernatural," the aforementioned mystifier said.
Hyde said that Houdini even “went to Washington and testified in front of Congress.”
It should be noted that when Houdini appeared, he did not go unchallenged.
The 1924 article said that while Houdini "was attempting to explain certain phenomena to Williamsport people,…(when a) ludicrous attempt was made by a local man (to heckle Houdini)."
It stated this man claimed "to be in touch with the 'spirits' every evening and, it is understood, gives seances in some rooms in Market square."
Houdini countered and said that this heckler "was not, (and) that no person could be (in touch with spirits), to which the local man replied, 'Oh, I ain’t? Well, you don’t know who I am'.”
Frederick Steck, the interrupter, continued to converse but Houdini remained his "courteous self under extremely trying conditions, (as) a rapid fire of conversation was carried on between the man who has studied magic and spiritualism under the world’s greatest teachers, who has appeared before crowned heads in every country of the globe and a man (Steck) who, locally, claims to be, legitimately, in converse with the spirits."
In 2016, Darlene Dietrich, escape artist, magician and owner of the Houdini Museum in Scranton, visited Williamsport. In conjunction with then-Mayor Gabe Campana, a plaque was erected near the Pine Street Methodist Church where Houdini spoke to honor his crusade.
Even though Houdini's death came a century ago on Oct. 31st, 1926, Hyde said this son of a rabbi still inspires entertainers today.
"If I could go back in time in a time machine...I would love to see Houdini," Hyde said.
However, Hyde considers the Pine Street church sacred in a different manner.
He said, "It’s an honor to be in the same spot where he was. He might not have done the water torture escape, but to stand where he (had stood)…and where he presented his show and he did his talk on (fraudulent spiritualists), for (me) a magician, it was like hallowed ground."