EPISODE · Nov 11, 2025 · 1H 10M
54: The Roff House - Small Towns
from I Scream, You Scream Podcast
In 1877, 14-year-old Lurancy Vennum from Watseka, Illinois, began experiencing seizures, trances, and speaking in voices not her own. Spiritualists believed she was possessed by the spirit of Mary Roff, a local girl who had died twelve years earlier after similar episodes. The infamous case would go down in history as The Watseka Wonder.Was it all a hoax to spread awareness for spiritualism, or was it really one of the first legitimate possessions in American history? Kathryn visited The Roff house, now a historic landmark and AirBNB, to see for herself👀 Special shout out to The Wisconsin Apparition Tracking Society (TWATS) for inviting us on a paranormal investigation at The Roff House earlier this year!Story starts at: 05:11Welcome to I Scream, You Scream, a podcast with your weekly scoop of the most chilling histories, mysteries & paranormal perplexities! This month Gina & Kathryn are each enjoying ice cream from their favorite local places while we tell stories about small towns. 🖤Join our Patreon for bonus content, shoutouts, and exclusive treats!New episodes drop every Tuesday!👻Want to share a ghost story of your own?Send us an email: [email protected] fill out this form: https://forms.gle/sUXrdjUZUVCs9KSV7Join our I Scream socials! https://linktr.ee/iscreamyouscreampod⭐Don’t forget to hit us with a five star rating wherever you listen/watch! Keep it cool🍦And keep it creepy💀📚Sources: The Watseka Wonder, Stephen E. Winchester (1928)Find a GraveIllinois LandmarksHaunted US📸Credits:BBC Wikipedia Commons Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What this episode covers
In 1877, 14-year-old Lurancy Vennum from Watseka, Illinois, began experiencing seizures, trances, and speaking in voices not her own. Spiritualists believed she was possessed by the spirit of Mary Roff, a local girl who had died twelve years earlier after similar episodes. The infamous case would go down in history as The Watseka Wonder.Was it all a hoax to spread awareness for spiritualism, or was it really one of the first legitimate possessions in American history? Kathryn visited The Roff house, now a historic landmark and AirBNB, to see for herself👀 Special shout out to The Wisconsin Apparition Tracking Society (TWATS) for inviting us on a paranormal investigation at The Roff House earlier this year!Story starts at: 05:11Welcome to I Scream, You Scream, a podcast with your weekly scoop of the most chilling histories, mysteries & paranormal perplexities! This month Gina & Kathryn are each enjoying ice cream from their favorite local places while we tell stories about small towns. 🖤Join our Patreon for bonus content, shoutouts, and exclusive treats!New episodes drop every Tuesday!👻Want to share a ghost story of your own?Send us an email: [email protected] fill out this form: https://forms.gle/sUXrdjUZUVCs9KSV7Join our I Scream socials! https://linktr.ee/iscreamyouscreampod⭐Don’t forget to hit us with a five star rating wherever you listen/watch! Keep it cool🍦And keep it creepy💀📚Sources: The Watseka Wonder, Stephen E. Winchester (1928)Find a GraveIllinois LandmarksHaunted US📸Credits:BBC Wikipedia Commons Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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54: The Roff House - Small Towns
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