COLORADO NEWS

Denver woman accredited for the name “Ouija Board”

Oct 27, 2023, 11:33 AM | Updated: Mar 23, 2024, 8:06 am

circa 1950: A medium using a ouija board and glass to communicate with spirits. (Photo by Orlando /...

circa 1950: A medium using a ouija board and glass to communicate with spirits. (Photo by Orlando /Three Lions/Getty Images)

(Photo by Orlando /Three Lions/Getty Images)

Denver, CO — First manufactured in the United States, what was once a “talking board” was named a “Ouija Board” by none other than a Denver native.

What now has a scary or haunted connotation, was once used as a primary tool during the Civil War Era. Those who lost someone in the war and were looking to communicate with them used these “talking boards” provided by a spiritual medium.

A spiritual medium is believed to mediate or deliver messages from spirits, or loved ones who have passed one. One medium in particular, Helen Peters Nosworthy helped commercialize these boards and coined the name “Ouija Board”.

As the story is told, Nosworthy allegedly asked the talking board what it wished to be called and it spelled “O-U-I-J-A”. Asking what that meant, the board then spelled out “G-O-O-D-L-U-C-K”. After being denied twice a patent, the “Ouija Board” would spell its name in front of a chief patent officer.

Nosworthy later died in 1940, but her grave can be found at Denver’s Fairmount Cemetery. 

 

 

 

Submit Your Colorado Fall Photos Here!

Colorado News

Water World...

Shawn Patrick

Water World is hiring 1,000 workers for the summer of 2025

It’s kind of weird to be talking about a water park only a day or two after we saw temperatures in Denver around -15 with the windchill, but here we […]

2 days ago

Photo by Charles Black/BIPs/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Colorado named the worst place in the US for road rage

When’s the last time you got the finger while driving on Colorado roads… According to this new study, it probably hasn’t been long! Malloy Law Offices, based in Maryland, determined […]

2 days ago

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

I-25 to close multiple nights in February south of Denver near Castle Rock

If you drive on I-25 near Castle Rock, CO, be prepared to find a new route for the next couple of weeks possibly. The town of Castle Rock is making […]

2 days ago

(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)...

Big Mic

DUI Checkpoints to increase in Colorado over next 2 weeks

As we move into Presidents Day weekend, Colorado will see increased DUI checkpoints and officer saturation to target drunken driving. The Colorado Department of Transportation will be working with Colorado […]

3 days ago

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Investors are interested in building a new arena in Denver for a WNBA team

I am all about Denver getting a WNBA franchise at some point, but this news seems like poor timing as Broomfield is losing millions to tear down a perfectly fine […]

3 days ago

(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)...

Shawn Patrick

Sturgill Simpson announces two shows at Denver’s Mission Ballroom

Most of the shows Sturgill Simpson plays these days are in large arenas or at gigantic festivals, so having him a rather intimate venue in Denver is a treat for […]

3 days ago

Denver woman accredited for the name “Ouija Board”