ISCE Convention

First-ever ISCE Convention is being planned!
Do you have something to add?

The ISCE, along with the Conventions Committee in Hamilton, Ohio, is planning the first "Hollow Earth Convention" in honor Captain of John Cleeves Symmes.

The director of the ISCE encourages all those who may wish to participate and/or contribute to the effort to contact him. If you have any special research or artifacts to share or would like to be a part of the convention, either as a contributor or a visitor, please contact the ISCE. The ISCE will respond to all those who contact the director with continuous updates regarding the progress of this proposed convention.

Why Hamilton, Ohio?
In 1826, Hamilton, Ohio resident Captain John Cleves Symmes developed the hollow earth theory. In fact, he further regarded the theory as the "Concentric Ring Theory." He was an ex-army officer and a business man. He believed the theory in nearly the same way Dr. Raymond Bernard except for his "Concentric Ring" explanation. Symmes dedicated most of his life advancing his theory and raising money to support an expedition to the North Pole to find the entrance to the hollow earth. In 1818, with a number of growing enthusiasts, Symmes shared his ideas while on an international lecture tour. In a letter addressed to "all the world", and directed to politicians, learned societies, and heads of state throughout America and Europe and various publications, he wrote:

"I declare the earth is hollow, and inhabital within; containing a number of solid spheres, one within the other, and that it is open at the poles or 16 degrees; I pledge my life, in support of this truth, and am ready to explore the hollow, if the world will support and aid me in the undertaking."

It was only after his death that one of his ardent followers, a newspaper editor named Jeremiah Reynolds, help influence the U.S. government to send an expedition to Antarctica. The idea gained support by president John Quincy Adams and, in 1828, Congress approved the expedition. The ship sailed in 1838. The artifacts from this expedition became the foundation of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. Is it ironic that our national museum was founded as a result of a congressional order to search for the entrance to the "hollow earth"?

A detailed essay on Captain John Cleeves Symmes can be obtained from the ISCE. Please refer to the ISCE catalogue.

Please contact Danny Weiss, ISCE director, with all your questions or to discuss the possibility of being a contributor.