Ascha Sprague (1827-1862)

1847 -Plymouth Notch, Vermont- The slim, attractive young woman of twenty rode her horse through the green pastures among the hills. She did this, despite the growing rheumatic pain that constantly assaulted her joints, because she needed to get out and stay active. Sadly, the pain had driven her from her post as a local schoolteacher which she had held since the tender age of twelve. As she thought about what one old crone from the village had said about her condition, implying that she was lovesick and needed a good spanking, her mind was elsewhere. As pain wracked her, she lost her grip as the horse lumbered over a hillock and down she spilled onto the green sward. She lay there cursing her existence until a local farmer noticed her and gave assistance.

Ascha Sprague eventually retired to her bedroom to wait and hope for pain to abate or death to take her.

1854- Plymouth Notch, Vermont- Ascha rose out of bed and stretched her limbs. Her pain was subsiding slowly and she had made great progress since the spirits had visited her and said: “Come forth from thy darkness, oh thou child of sorrow. Come forth even though thy eyes are dimmed with weeping, for thy grief shall be changed into gladness.” (Bushnell) They had drawn back the curtain of her pain and had given her remarkable insights that even she failed to fully explain. She would go on to become one of the most celebrated mediums of the spiritualist movement. She travelled extensively for seven years to give performances and speak on topics that mattered to her philanthropic heart. She went as far as Wisconsin, Canada, Iowa and Baltimore, however, in true Vermont fashion, she preferred to stay and speak among the green mountains of her home.

In her travels she noticed grave injustices in the world and spoke of them in her prolific writings and in her many performances. She railed against inequities, was a staunch abolitionist and proponent of women’s rights and suffrage. She would tell her hosts that the lavish oyster dinners they provided for her visits would be better spent on the poor and suffering. She bravely travelled alone and asked to visit prisons. She advocated for prison reform and spoke out on the subject of temperance.

Wherever she went this young woman had many admirers and was often forced to reject many marriage proposals from suitors, because she did not want to give up her autonomy so she could continue to give voice to the spirits that had gifted her with her recovery. Sadly, after the seven years of grace were over, her pain returned and she retired to her bedroom in Plymouth Notch. She wrote prolifically up until the day of her death, which came in 1862. Ascha was only thirty-four years old.

Ascha Sprague was a remarkable Vermont historical figure that used what little time she had to try to make a difference in the lives of others. Below is a link to a book that was published posthumously, a collection of her poems, many of which were written while she was in a trance state, or engaged in automatic writing.

Sprague, Ascha W: The Poet and other Poems