“WHITEWATER’S HAUNTED HISTORY: Supernatural to Second Salem”: And More True Tales! #WeirdDarkness
Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories
Darren Marlar
4.6 • 4.1K Ratings
🗓️ 8 March 2025
⏱️ 69 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
IN THIS EPISODE: Whitewater legend says that the bizarre experiments conducted at the Morris Pratt Institute of Spiritualism in Wisconsin, to communicate with the dead, have left the town cursed by witches and haunted by restless spirits. It’s no wonder it has garnered the nickname of “Second Salem.” (Whitewater: The Second Salem) *** The Wild West had many drifters with troubled pasts. One found himself at the heart of one of the most infamous crimes in American history. Ben Kuhl went from horse theft, to stagecoach robbery, to murder – from notoriety to infamy – all in pursuit of elusive riches. Finally arrested and convicted due to a bloody handprint (The Last Stagecoach Robbery) *** Fred West was just a regular boy, or so it seemed. But behind closed doors, in reality, he was becoming evil incarnate. And upon meeting his future wife Rose, it only expanded his predatory predilections. Fred and Rose descended from petty crimes to unspeakable horrors of rape and murder – even of the most young and innocent. From their "House of Horrors" the depths of their depravity was acted out — hidden from site. But as the walls closed in and the truth emerged, the true horror of their crimes was laid bare. (The Evils of Fred And Rose West) *** AND MORE!
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Lead-In
00:02:38.498 = Show Open
00:04:51.531 = Whitewater: The Second Salem
00:24:08.642 = The Evils of Fred And Rose West
00:40:15.583 = The Last Stagecoach Robbery
00:54:13.236 = Bygone Gluttons
01:06:56.754 = Show Close, Verse, and Final Thought
SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“Whitewater: The Second Salem” by Charlie Hintz for Wisconsin Frights: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p9bktup
“Bygone Gluttons” by Ben Gazur for ListVerse: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p99hjxj
“The Evils of Fred and Rose West” from Biography: https://www.biography.com/crime/fred-west
“The Last Stagecoach Robbery” from Creative History Stories: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/bdh3h8h5
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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
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WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.
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Originally aired: April 16, 2024
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/HauntedWhitewater
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | When Salem Roanoke took a job near his family's new home as a hired hand in the Texas |
| 0:05.7 | Hill country, he anticipated learning the ranchers' trade, but a series of strange events, shocking |
| 0:11.6 | murders and unholy revelations divert him down another path. |
| 0:17.0 | This terrifying trajectory puts him directly into the middle of a struggle between monsters, |
| 0:21.9 | magic and men. |
| 0:23.9 | Armed and backed by a militia of ranchers, Salem attempts to combat the creeping tide |
| 0:28.6 | of evil that threatens to engulf his new home and destroy the people most important to |
| 0:33.5 | him. |
| 0:34.5 | Will Salem manage to save his home, or have his actions condemn everyone he hopes |
| 0:39.1 | to save? The Witch Trials. A Summer of Wolves and Season of the Witch by S. R. Ruanoke. Available |
| 0:45.6 | in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. Look for The Witch Trials by S.R. Rowanoke |
| 0:51.2 | on Amazon, or find it on the audiobooks page at weirddarkness.com. |
| 0:55.2 | That's weirddarkness.com slash audiobooks. |
| 1:00.1 | Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third-party agencies |
| 1:04.0 | outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. |
| 1:08.4 | Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and is intended |
| 1:12.7 | for mature audiences only. |
| 1:14.5 | Parental discretion is strongly advised. |
| 1:21.0 | In the eerie depths of Wisconsin's haunted past, lies the story of the Morris-Prat |
| 1:27.0 | Institute. Born from a vow whispered |
| 1:30.6 | amidst the ethereal whispers of a seance, this strange establishment emerged as a beacon of |
| 1:36.5 | spiritualism, casting a chilling shadow over the town of Whitewater. From its inception, the institute |
... |
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