That Time WV Almost Had a School of Parapsychology

Salem College, ca 1912 Source: WV History on View

The former Salem College, located in Harrison County, WV, was chartered in December of 1888 and began its first term in April of 1889. For 70+ years, it was a small, local school offering a liberal arts education and training for future teachers. However, in the 1960′s the school saw a huge expansion in both physical space and program offerings, marking the beginning of the modern-day Salem University as we currently know it. 

Part of this 1960′s expansion included the development of a new Department of Psychology. Lucien Sansouci, a graduate of the University of Paris, was hired as department chairman, despite already being in his 70s at the time. As part of the new curriculum, Sansouci off-handedly suggested to the Dean that they include a parapsychology course.

Parapsychology, defined loosely as “the branch of psychology that deals with the investigation of psychic phenomena,” had been studied in some form since the 1800′s, but had only begun to be taken seriously as an academic discipline a decade earlier at Duke University. Sansouci, while maintain an open mind, was interested in the subject after having met researcher Karl Young in 1953, yet skeptical. He noted that many major European universities also offered courses in parapsychology. Yet, when he suggested it to the Dean, he didn’t really believe he’d get the green light. 

Miraculously, the Dean agreed to the suggestion, and in 1969, the first parapsychology course in West Virginia was taught at Salem College. By 1970, Sansouci was teaching a daytime course on the college campus in addition to an adult education evening class in nearby Clarksburg. The night class alone drew anywhere from 50-60 participants, as it became apparent that there was a real interest in the subject.

Parapsychology would continue to be taught under the guidance of Lucien Sansouci for three years. Sansouci also lectured on the subject. In one incident that made local newspapers, Sansouci had given a lecture in Charleston about witchcraft and demonology. As part of his talk, he challenged any practitioners out there to hex him. One such person came forward and claimed that Sansouci would die at the ninth stroke of midnight, on September 4, 1971. Students and other onlookers crowded the lawns and windowsills around Sansouci’s abode, but as the designated hour came and went, Sansouci remained alive and well. 

However, later that same fall, Sansouci retired from the Psychology Department at Salem and moved to Parkersburg, WV. Over the past three years, his interest in parapsychology continued to grow, and he intended to open up his own school dedicated solely to the subject. But by Spring of 1973, Sansouci was ready to throw in the towel and move to Boston. 

His idea of opening up a school of parapsychology was not well received. Despite his attempts at community outreach (he offered free marriage counseling to the community) and debating with local churches, he was still denounced publicly by those who claimed he was trying to start a cult. He even hired a young man to help him recruit students for his new school, but the man’s wife alerted her church officials who claimed that the family would be persecuted by demons should he follow-up with such employment. The school was never opened, obviously, and West Virginia lost out on the chance of becoming a leader in parapsychology research. 

As someone who dreamed of becoming a parapsychologist from an early age, learning about what could have been, right here so close to home, is really depressing! I also wonder why the people of Harrison County seemed more open-minded than the people of Parkersburg, a city well-known for embracing its haunted history. Was it because parapsychology taught within the confines of a small school’s accredited Psychology department was different somehow than a school dedicated solely to that one subject? 

Side Note: I cannot confirm with 100% accuracy that this is him, but when I was trying to find a follow-up on what happened with Lucien Sansouci, I found a Find-a-Grave listing that had some crazy newspaper articles attached. The dates match up (if this is him, he died in 1987 at the age of 90) and mention he was a reporter for a French language publication (which makes sense as his degree was from the University of Paris). Anyway, the articles claim that in 1924, Sansouci was caught spying on a meeting of the Ku Klux Klan in Rhode Island. They kidnapped him, beat him, and branded him on the arm and forehead with a ‘K.’ Here’s the link; I’ll let you decide if it’s the same person or not:  Find-a-Grave for Lucien Sansouci

22 September 1970 The Raleigh Register

08 September 1971 The Raleigh Register

03 April 1973 The Weirton Daily Times