Roff House- Watseka Illinois

This home was built by Dorthy and Asa Roff in 1868. Well known members of the Spiritualist movement, the Roffs gained their fame in 1878 when a 13-year-old girl named Lurancy Vennum moved into their home, claiming to be possessed by the spirit of their dead daughter, Mary. This home is known to be the first documented possession in U.S. History. 

In 1877 Lurancy Vennum started to have unexplained seizures, and it was reported that she would lose consciousness for hours and sometimes days at a time. During these episodes, she stated that she was able to communicate with the spirits. She was examined by several doctors, and through this, she was diagnosed as "insane". It was suggested that she be admitted to an insane asylum. During preparations to admit Lurancy into an institution, Asa Roff came to see them. He explained that his daughter, Mary, suffered from the same "illness" many years before. He was able to convince her family that a spiritual physician would be able to help her.

Mary Roff's episodes began when she was an infant. After many visits with doctors, they were unable to determine a cause. As Mary grew older she began to manifest psychic abilities and could talk to spirits. Her family and doctors did not believe this to be the case so Mary was ultimately admitted into an asylum, where she passed away in July of 1865.

Dorthy and Asa Roff were devout followers of Spiritualism by 1878, and believed that their daughter had not been insane, but had been a gifted medium. 

As mentioned before, Asa Roff convinced the Vennums that a spiritual physician would in fact be able to help their Lurancy and it would prevent her from suffering the same fate as their daughter Mary. During a visit from Dr. Winchester Stevens, it is reported that Lurancy had entered a trance like state and had become possessed by the spirit of Mary Roff, which claimed that she would be able to help Lurancy. When Lurancy became conscious, it is reported that she was not herself and seemed like a different person all together. And when she was asked to identify herself she responded, "I am Mary Roff."

Through observations of Lurancy made by both the Roff and Vennum Families, as well as a multitude of people in town, it was believed that Lurancy had actually become Mary Roff. She would recognize people, personal items and knew private family secrets, all things that only Mary would have known. For the following five months, Lurancy lived in the Roff home, seemingly posessed by the spirit of Mary Roff, who had died more than a decade prior to this occurrance. From this, Lurancy became known as the "Watseka Wonder."

An eyewhitness account "The Watseka Wonder" was published in 1879

If you would like to learn more history about this location, click the link below

https://www.landmarks.org/preservation-programs/richard-h-driehaus-foundation-preservation-awards/roff-house-watseka/#:~:text=John%20Whitman%2C%20Roff%20House%20owner&text=Prominent%20members%20of%20the%20Spiritualist,of%20their%20dead%20daughter%2C%20Mary.