Unfamiliar Territory

A girl insists she isn’t who her parents think she is and the room spirals from arguments into terror. We start with a chilling stretch of the Watseka possession narrative, where Lurancy Vennum’s family, Ann Roff, and Dr Stevens clash over belief, control, and consequences. The questions are painfully human even when the claims are supernatural: what counts as truth when a voice, a memory, and a body no longer match? And what happens when fear of “the loony bin” hangs over every decision like a verdict? 

Then we step out from the pages and onto the porch. Porch Light Whispers brings you raw, firsthand eyewitness interviews about the Brown Mountain Lights of Western North Carolina, one of the most enduring American ghost light mysteries. You’ll hear clear descriptions of lights rising above the tree line, hovering, drifting, and disappearing in seconds, plus specific viewing spots like Wiseman’s View and the Brown Mountain Overlook on Highway 181. We also talk about how easy it is to confuse distant town lights with the real phenomenon, and why credibility hits differently when the witness is someone with nothing to gain. 

Folklore trails behind the lights with stories of a slave searching, a hunter lost, and a lover who never came home, and even a snippet of the classic Brown Mountain Lights song that helped carry the legend across generations. If you’re into paranormal podcasts, historical hauntings, possession stories, or North Carolina ghost lights, this one is built for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves a good mystery, and leave a review with your take: what do you think the Brown Mountain Lights really are?

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Transcript

A Possession Case Turns Dire

Speaker 0:11

Welcome to Small Town Whispers, where history, folklore, and the paranormal collide. I'm Bethany Yucuis Borden, and I lived in Watseka, Illinois from 1988 to 1999. For over a decade, I walked the same streets, saw the same houses, and even had friends connected to the story we're about to dive into. This isn't just history for me, it's personal. If my voice sounds a little rough today, you'll have to bear with me. I'm fighting something. Could be all the germs floating around. Could be the pollen staging a full-on attack here. Either way, if you're dealing with allergies right now, you have my deepest sympathy. Honestly, it's gotten so bad I almost started writing a parody song the other day. Because everywhere I looked, it was all yellow. You know exactly what I'm talking about if you're from Wilmington. But let's jump back in and pick up right where we left off. Anne Roff and Minerva Alter decided to visit Lurinda and Lurancy Venom under the notion that Mary was inhabiting Lurancy's body. They had quite a reunion. It was undeniable to Ann and Nervie that Mary was the spirit within Lurancy, even though Lurinda continued to struggle with the idea. As Nervie finished telling Mary all about her wedding, Tom Vennum and Dr. Stevens showed up to the house and surprised the ladies. This is where we get back to the book Watseka, America's Most Extraordinary Case of Possession and Exorcism on page 203. Dr. Stevens had taken off his coat and hung it on the wall. Mrs. Roff, I assume you have spoken with your husband over the incidents that occurred here last evening. Ann nodded. What occurred has been most unusual. I have spent several years in this field, and can truthfully state that I've never seen a case of possession last as long as this one already has. It's almost twenty-four hours, and the entity has not departed. I am well aware of who you are and what you do, Anne said. I have read your work and of your successes in some of the spiritual magazines. I want to thank you for what you have done here. You have undoubtedly saved this little girl's life. I did nothing, ma'am, he replied, again with a slight bow. All I did was clear the way for the spirit of your daughter to come in and do what she has been sent to do. It is your daughter, isn't it? Ann reached out and put her arm around Lurancy's shoulders. Yes, I can say this quite definitely. This is my daughter. This is my Mary. You are certain of it? Quite certain. We have had time to talk, and she has told us things that the Vennum girl couldn't possibly have known. The body is, of course, that of another, but the voice is Mary's. I've no doubt of that. I'm confused, said Tom. Last night she was Rancy in Rancy's body. Then she became Mary Roff in Rancy's body. She used to be my daughter, and now she's not. You are her ma, and yet my missus ain't? And everybody here acts as if this was the most natural thing in the world. Well, it ain't. I don't know what's happening, and I don't like it. Lurinda stretched out her hand toward her husband. Don't take on so, she said. These fine folks say it's all for Rancy's good. Maybe whatever is happening to her will keep her out of the loony bin. God, Mr. Vennum, we can't hope for anything better than that. Can we? He sank into a chair. I suppose not. But I wish I understood it better. That's all.

Speaker 1 4:54

But it's so easy, Mr. Vennum. Your daughter was ill. In fact, she was dying. But it wasn't her time to go. When those people started coming through her and making her sound so crazy and everything, the people on the other side got worried and The other side of what?

Speaker 5:10

Tom demanded.

Speaker 1 5:11

The other side. You know, where you go when you die. She looked at him, but as he didn't say anything else, she continued. There was so much concern about her. And finally, when it was decided that someone ought to come back and take care of her, I volunteered. They said I could come back. It ain't usually done. But I told them I had a great deal to make up for for all the confusion and sadness I had caused my mom and paw when I was here before. This would be a good way to do it. She added, smiling at Mrs. Roff. I could help the Vennum girl and help my folks at the same time. They said it would be all right, and here I am.

Speaker 5:47

And you expect me to believe that? Tom asked, glaring at his daughter, but already starting to treat her as if she were someone else. Believe it? Lurancy was surprised for a moment.

Speaker 1 5:59

You mean you don't believe it? Well, sir, it's the truth. And you just have to believe the truth, don't you, Mom?

Speaker 6:05

Don't you have to believe the truth? It's not that Mr. Venom doesn't believe you, Dr. Stevens said. It's just that it is all so strange for him. After all, this is not an everyday occurrence. To someone like the Vennums, and he gave a deferential nod toward them. This is so far from anything that's ever happened to them, or indeed to anyone they have known, that it is quite difficult to understand. You're damn right. It ain't easy to understand, Tom said. All of a sudden, my own daughter ain't who she's been all her life, and in she's the daughter of people who are perfect strangers. I can't buy that. Not yet. Lurinda decided to put her own two cents in. What I don't understand is how you, Mrs. Roff, can take this so calmly. Is it because it ain't happening to your daughter? Mrs. Vennum. Twelve years ago, my daughter Mary was to be committed to the insane asylum in Springfield. No. Your daughter? Lurinda put her hand up to her face. I I didn't know. And she suffered just like your daughter has been suffering. The entire town was against us. The pressures were terrible. But then when we couldn't get help from anyone, not even our own minister, we decided the best thing to do was to lock her up. The night before she was to leave, she died. Of what? Tom asked. We don't know. Nobody knows. We heard a scream, and she was dead. Just like that. Oh, you poor thing, said Lurinda. And that's where my Rancy was headed? Obviously, Dr. Stevens replied. Rancy was having the same sort of attacks, only much worse. It would only have been a matter of time until she too would have died. As it is now, thanks to the spirit of Mary Roff. Your daughter has been given another opportunity. And you really believe this? Tom still needed to be convinced. I do indeed. I've seen too much not to believe.

Speaker 1 8:07

You're all talking about me as if I wasn't here. But I am here, and I want to go now. She got up from the sofa. Come on, Ma, get your things Nervie. Let me get my coat and we can go home now.

Speaker 8:19

I don't think so, Tom said. What? Lurancy turned toward him. What do you mean? I want to go home now, with my ma and my sister. This is your home, and you ain't going nowhere until you get a hell of a lot better than you are now. He stood up to face her. And that's final. I want to go home. You are home, he shouted. And you're going to stay here. Lurancy turned toward Mrs. Roff. Ma, tell this man I can go home with you, please. Well, if Mr. Vennum thinks Anne didn't want to get involved in a family fight. That's right, Rancy, Lurinda said. When you get better, then maybe you can go and visit the Roths some afternoon. Some afternoon? The girl was shouting now, her voice escalating. Some afternoon? Watch your tone, Rancy, Tom warned. My name is not Rancy. Can't any of you see that? Can't you understand? Now Rancy, Lurinda began. But the girl spun around at her, and the suddenness of it almost knocked her down.

Speaker 1 9:26

I was sent here to do a job. I was sent here and I tend to do that job. Ma, Nervie, you explain it to them. For some reason they're trying to hold me back from what I came to do, from what I must do.

Speaker 9:40

Mary dear. Ann tried to soothe the child. Maybe we could wait a few days until we see exactly how things are going to turn out. After all, a few days? I don't have a few days to waste. Dr. Stevens, you tell them. He ain't telling us nothin', Tom shouted. You live here and you're going to stay here. And one morse's ass out of your mouth, and you're going right back into your room in there, and I'll lock the door. You hear me? And do you hear me? Watch closely. Watch what you are doing. She clutched at her throat and screamed. The others in the room backed away. Even Dr. Stevens wasn't sure what was happening. Her face turned red, then began to go into a soft purple. The veins in her neck stood out. Her eyes bulged. Then the pupils turned slowly upward until nothing but the whites could be seen. Her mouth opened in a cry that never was released. She sank to the floor, her face deepening in color, white flecks of froth starting to form at each corner of her lips. Her arms and legs jerked violently, quivered for a few seconds, and then became stiff and rigid. She gave one loud gasp for air, and her breathing almost stopped. Lurinda began to cry, and Ann and Minerva stood together watching in horror as the girl changed from a healthy teenager into an almost lifeless corpse. Tom could do nothing but stand and stare. Dr. Stevens glared at the venoms and knelt down on the floor. Once again, he began making those swooping hand movements over the girl's body. Again, they hovered over her face, came down to her chest, and then were raised and shaken. The hands moved and fluttered and shook until the color started to return into Lurancy's face. He passed his hands around her. Now her arms and legs became less rigid. Again the hands made their passes. The pupils of her eyes slid down into place and she closed her eyelids. Finally, she sighed and took a deep breath, rolled over onto her side, and pulled her legs up into a fetal position. She began to take deep, regular breaths. She was sleeping. You know what she's done, don't you? Dr. Stevens said as he got up from the floor. She's shown you what Lurancey would look like if she were not inside controlling her body. You must not hinder this girl's work here on Earth. To do so would mean death. Death to Lurancy and untold anguish to Mary. I don't want my daughter telling me what to do, Tom said stubbornly. And I, Doctor, Ann said, am uncertain if I want the responsibility of taking this girl into my home. Not under the present conditions. Dr. Stevens looked at them, one at a time. I don't think, he said slowly, that either of you has much choice in this matter. There are no roads open to agreements. You have both been given your orders. I, if you wish, will stay on in Watsika just a little longer to supervise her. I would not want the living girl's death or the dead girl's wrath on my conscience. It would be too much to bear. Much too much.

Speaker 2 13:07

Now, join me under the porch light, the place where memories of meet the present and voices from the past still linger in the dark. Tonight we listen not to the pages from a book, but to the people who have felt the unexplained and found the courage to share it. Welcome to Porch Light Whispers.

Speaker 13:36

Back on episode six, I sang part of the Brown Mountain Lights song and told the story of its legend. Thank goodness I don't have to do that today. I originally heard about the lights from my friend Sally, who is from Western North Carolina. Several of her family members have seen the lights firsthand. Their stories have been on our Patreon page, but this week I am bringing them right here under the porch light for you. When I first received the raw audio from these interviews right around Thanksgiving 2025, I got chills. It's easy to be skeptical of things we haven't seen ourselves, but it's hard to dismiss stories from credible eyewitnesses with no reason to make them up. See what you think after you hear their stories.

Speaker 6 14:21

Okay, have you ever seen the Brown Mountain Light?

Speaker 3 14:23

Yes, I have.

Speaker 6 14:25

Can you tell me about it?

Speaker 3 14:26

Well, I went out to, I think it was Wiseman's View. And uh a lot of people mistake the lights of Morganton for the Brown Mountain Lights, which is not it. But they were colored balls, best I remember, and they just come up off the mountain, off the top, sort of danced around.

Speaker 6 14:45

Is there a legend behind it that you remember learning about as a child?

Speaker 3 14:50

Yes, it was a uh I heard two. One was a uh uh something about a slave looking for its magic. I think it's what one of the ones I heard.

Speaker 6 15:02

Heard that one too.

Speaker 3 15:03

And uh it seems like there might have been something with that. It was like I don't I don't remember that for sure. I do remember one back.

Speaker 6 15:13

How long would you say that the lights appeared? Four.

Speaker 3 15:18

Less than five minutes when I saw when I when I saw cool.

Speaker 6 15:28

Tell me about the time you saw the brown mountain lights.

Speaker 4 15:31

Well, I saw them from Liz on the view once, but my best view was from the overlook on 181, where you see table rock on the right, looking toward Brown Mountain. And what they appeared to me, they just appeared like light coming up out of the ground, out of the tree line, and they get up so far and then they just sort of disappear. Uh I don't remember them being colored, I just remember them being being white, but I know that it was a brown mountain light. And Thomas mentioned you mentioned, Thomas mentioned about uh the uh legend, the most famous thing is Tommy Fail's song that used to be on the Arthur Smith show. He recorded the song The Brown Mountain Lights, and you could pull that up on the internet and listen to it. But uh but that's Tom.

Speaker 6 16:21

Would you like to sing us a segment of that song?

Speaker 4 16:27

My wife will probably leave because she don't like to hear me sing it, but uh stop for a minute. Let me think get my thoughts together. This song was originally recorded, I think, by Tommy Fail on the Arthur Smith show that used to be on WBTV Charlotte Station. High on the mountain and down in the belly below. It shows like the crown of an angel and fight as must come and go. Well gone. I close like come back from the grass. For masters of the wagon When the Floor With the Star Wars on the bottom, go on scone go. Come back from the grave is searching, searching, searching for his master who's long, long gone.

Speaker 6 18:09

So, have you seen the brown mountain lights?

Speaker 5 18:13

Yes, from two different locations.

Speaker 6 18:16

Can you tell me more about that?

Speaker 5 18:18

Uh one location being the Brown Mountain Overlook place on Highway 181, looking toward Brown Mountain itself. Uh most people think that it's that that's Brown Mountain, but it is not Brown Mountain where you look at them. You're looking toward Brown Mountain. The lights there I've seen them twice from that location. Been lots of years ago, but um the best I remember that they look like there is lights that come up and they a little bit gradually come up, and you're like, oh yeah, I do see something. And then they come up and they hover and kind of move back and forth very lightly, and then they as fast as they appear, they're gone. Just that quick. Sometime at some point. It's like possibly a little tracer, like a tracer bullet. Uh like you see on TV.

Speaker 6 19:31

Were they white or were they colors?

Speaker 5 19:33

They're white. They're all always white. I've never seen anything with any elaborate colors in them. But uh, I am color deficient. But it doesn't mean that there's any kind of you might call them tan to my m memory, instead of like a a white light, they would be a tan light.

Speaker 6 20:00

Where else did you see them?

Speaker 5 20:02

The other place and the best place I think I've seen them three times there is um from Wiseman's view off the old Highway 105, which is better known by Limble Mountain. Uh about a five-mile drive out there, and uh then a short walk through the woods overlooking Limble Gorge, which you're looking over toward Brown Mountain at a farther estimated distance there would be as the crow flies uh five five seven miles, maybe, and the same thing, but more like kiss. I definitely seen him uh than there along the highway.

Speaker 6 20:56

It's uh a more unmistakable view there that they did the same thing, they kind of rise up and hover.

Speaker 5 21:06

Yeah, and there I want to say that I seen them create a a farther left or right experience.

Speaker 6 21:18

Do you remember learning about a legend behind the brown mountain lights?

Speaker 5 21:23

Uh uh I've heard it, but I don't I wouldn't say I learned it. It's just something that you hear about. Maybe a maybe a slave looking for his master, and then another one was uh a hunter that lost his way and maybe was looking for his dog. And there's another one, maybe, that I did read about that uh looking for a lost uh lover. And couldn't find her. But that's don't know where there's anything to that.

Legends And A Song Recall

Speaker 22:12

Pay attention. Sally and her brother Van did try to go see the Brown Mountain Lights last Thanksgiving. No such luck. Please let us know if you've seen them.

Speaker 2 22:24

That was this week's edition of Porchlight Whispers. Do you have an experience of your own to tell? We want to hear your stories. Share your experience and let your small town whispers become part of ours.

Speaker 22:41

And with that, the porchlight dims, but the whispers stay with us. Join us again next time when another voice steps into the light. Venmo, Bethany-Borden-1, PayPal, Bethany Borden 865, Cash App, Money Sign Small Town Whispers. Or you can go to buzzsprout.com slash 253 9508 slash support. These are all listed at the end of each episode description. This podcast does take a lot of time and energy, and any little bit would help. Please share your stories with us at Porchlight Whispers at gmail.com or send a message on the Small Town Whispers Facebook page. Did you know we're on YouTube? I dare you to put it on at bedtime. Don't forget to tell a friend or family member about the show. And mostly, thank you for simply listening. It means the world.