Bethany Yucuis Borden

Small Town Whispers

Society EN ↓ 28 episodes

Small Town Whispers is a storytelling podcast where history and the paranormal meet under the glow of the porchlight. Season One, Watseka Wonder , explores the chilling 19th-century case of possession and exorcism that haunted my hometown of Watseka, Illinois. I first discovered the story as a twelve-year-old when I read the book Watseka: America's Most Extraordinary Case of Possession and Exorcism by David St. Clair. Now, I return to share those haunting pages alongside small-town legends, ghost stories, and folklore submitted by listeners like you.

Author

Bethany Yucuis Borden

Episodes

Mary Mary, Quite Contrary 07.11.2025 25:43

We'd love to hear from you! A teenager restrained in a windowless room, a doctor’s letter that reads like a warning, and a father who refuses to accept “coincidence” as an answer—this chapter of Small Town Whispers moves from the Roff family’s newfound prosperity to the most unsettling moment in Mary’s treatment at the Peoria Water Cure. We walk through Asa’s confrontation with physicians who...

There's Something About Mary 31.10.2025 19:59

We'd love to hear from you! A quiet kitchen, a Sunday supper, and a six-year-old who suddenly sounds sixty-three. That’s where our journey takes a sharp turn, pulling us from small-town routine into a confrontation with the unexplainable. I read a vivid passage from Watseka, America’s Most Extraordinary Case of Possession and Exorcism that captures the room’s shifting air: Ann’s panic, Nervie...

Watseka: America's Most Extraordinary Case of Possession and Exorcism 27.10.2025 18:53

We'd love to hear from you! Welcome to Small Town Whispers. In Episode 1, you are going to get to know your host a little bit better and understand why she wants to keep the history of Watseka, IL and the story of the Watseka Wonder alive. The Roff family was one of the wealthiest in town in the late 1800s. However, money couldn't cure their daughter Mary, who was suffering from fits wit...