Rose Mackenberg was an American investigator specializing in fraudulent psychic mediums, known for her association with Harry Houdini.
16 Facts About Rose Mackenberg
2.
Rose Mackenberg was chief of a team of undercover investigators who investigated mediums for Houdini in the 1920s.
3.
Rose Mackenberg testified in court cases and before Congress and was interviewed in national magazines and on television.
4.
Rose Mackenberg later reported that, in her early life, she had believed that psychics and fortunetellers really were able to communicate with spirits and foretell the future.
5.
Rose Mackenberg sought out Houdini's help in the case, as he was very publicly engaged in a campaign against false mediums.
6.
Rose Mackenberg did investigations for Houdini and sometimes appeared on stage with him in many cities on those tours including Indianapolis, Worcester, Mass.
7.
Rose Mackenberg earned the respect of Houdini and his team, and was considered his chief investigator.
8.
Rose Mackenberg claimed to have investigated over 1,000 mediums and never found one who was not a fraud.
9.
Rose Mackenberg targeted local mediums including Jane B Coates and Madam Grace Marcia who were scheduled to testify against the bill.
10.
Rose Mackenberg had bequeathed a large sum of money to a "Spiritualistic College to Educate Mediums" at Lily Dale, New York, a famous camp and meeting place for Spiritualists.
11.
Rose Mackenberg was called as the "star witness" and the state was successful at trial.
12.
Rose Mackenberg wrote a series of articles on the "ghost racket" which were serialized to newspapers in 1929 and posthumously anthologized and re-published in 2016.
13.
Rose Mackenberg assisted with investigations which were published in major media outlets such as Popular Science, The Chicago Tribune and The Saturday Evening Post.
14.
Rose Mackenberg appeared on television talk shows including Mike and Buff and Tonight Starring Steve Allen.
15.
Rose Mackenberg remained single and continued to live in the New York City area in a "well lighted" apartment.
16.
In 2017, Rose Mackenberg was featured alongside Houdini in re-enactment sequences during season 14, episode 13 of the Travel Channel's documentary series Mysteries at the Museum.