Many Americans at the turn of the 20th century sought to escape temporarily from what they saw as the negative aspects of industrialization–overcrowding, stress, and a sense of disconnection from nature. In 1876, the New England Spiritualist Association (who believed they could communicate with the dead) acquired the Lake Pleasant property in Montague, Massachusetts. Reduced railway fares lured Spiritualists to the site each summer where they camped in tents and rustic cottages to enjoy boating, walking, musical entertainment, lectures, and seances in the camp’s relaxed atmosphere. The community flourished into the 20th century.