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Your Visit » Check dates Roff Home on SyFy in "The Possessed,"
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FAQs on Visiting the Roff Home About the Watseka Wonder story Paranormal investigations and ghost hunts:Planning and logistics
Evidence of paranormal activity
Paranormal investigations and ghost hunts: Rules
Tours
About the home
Proceeds About the Watseka Wonder story What is the Watseka Wonder story? In 1878, Lurancy Vennum claimed to be possessed by the spirit of Mary Roff, a girl who had died 12 years earlier. Lurancy moved into the Roff Home with the Roff family, where she stayed for 100 days until she was cured of her possession. The case became known as "America's First Documented Case of Spiritual Possession." You can read more about the story on this website or you can download for FREE an eyewitness account of the case. Paranormal investigations and ghost hunts: Planning and logistics I'm traveling with my group for an 8-hr investigation. Can we crash at the Roff Home after our investigation? Yes. Groups booking 8-hr investigations that cover nighttime hours may sleep at the Roff Home after their investigation ends. Since the home is not set up as a hotel to sleep guests, you would need to bring sleeping bags and/or air mattresses to sleep on. However, you are welcome to sleep here after an 8-hr investigation to be able to head back out on the road refreshed and renewed. Will renovation work at the Roff Home interfere with my investigation? No. Currently, there is no renovation work going on at the home that will interfere with or impede your investigation. The Roff Home is undergoing a multiyear renovation and restoration effort to bring out its original character, as Lurancy Vennum and the Roff family would have experienced it. The work is taking place in such a way as to not interfere with investigations. (You can read about renovation work on the Roff Home blog.) Will any other groups be in the home during my investigation? No. We never book multiple groups in the home at the same time. When your group is here, the only other person who will be in the home is the owner. Whether you are a group of two or fifteen, you can rest assured that you will have exclusive access to the home during the time your booked time. How do groups divide up in the home? For large groups, people usually split into two, three, or four smaller groups, with one group going outside around the grounds, another in the basement, another exploring the first floor, and yet another on the second floor. When each group has completed its area, groups rotate to the next area. This coordination has worked well for larger groups visiting the home. However, during your time in the home you can run your investigation as you wish. Can we also explore the grounds around the home? Yes, of course. The home sits on five acres of land that still retains much of its original landscaping from the late 1800s. Some investigators have claimed to have found certain evidence in the stand of oak trees to the west of the home. These trees were originally planted by the Roff family when they built the home in 1868. Can I go in the basement? Yes. Investigators claim to find strange evidence there. And it's a creepy basement. So feel free to satisfy your curiosity. It's all part of the experience. Is the Roff Home heated? Yes. You don't have to worry about freezing when you come for your investigation. A new boiler was installed as part of the renovation, and the home has been sealed to keep the outside out and the inside in. Some of the radiators have been restored. Each winter, the steam heat radiators keep the Roff home toasty warm. Evidence of Paranormal Activity Is the Roff Home haunted? Is there any paranormal activity? The Roff Home makes no claims about the existence of any paranormal activity whatsoever at the home. However, multiple paranormal investigators have claimed to have found evidence during their time in the home. The nature of investigations can be very subjective, and we leave it for you to decide. Here's a link to evidence from past investigations. What evidence have paranormal investigators found at the home? After their investigations of the Roff Home, some paranormal investigators have forwarded their evidence to us. This evidence has included audio and video recordings, photos and testimonials of their personal experiences while in the home. Here's a link to evidence from past investigations. What rooms or areas are most active in the home? Paranormal investigators repeatedly claim to find evidence in these rooms (hottest areas listed first): the infant's room, the mother's bedroom, the father's bedroom, the basement, and the servant's area at the top of the rear staircase. Other places where people have claimed to find evidence are the kitchen, the front and rear parlors, Lurancy's room, and the area outside among the oak trees. Basically, the whole house. Here's a link to evidence from past investigations. Will my group find evidence while we are there? The owner doesn't make any claims about paranormal activity in the home. However, most groups report back that they find something while they are here. The best analogy is to compare the home to a train station. Sometimes groups get reams of evidence, as if the house were filled with people passing through a train station at rush hour. However, other times the station is pretty empty with just a couple of people keeping to themselves as they wait for their trains to arrive. Here's a link to evidence from past investigations. Paranormal investigations and ghost hunts: Rules Are there set times that we have to arrive or leave for our investigation? Weekdays: Groups generally only book investigations on the weekends. However, if your group prefers a weekday, please inquire and we'd be happy to work out a weekday in which we could accomodate your group. 4-hr investigations: During busy times of the year, we request that four-hour investigations fit into the time frame of 7-11 pm or midnight to 4 am. If your group would prefer a different time frame, please ask. We'll work to accomodate your request. 8-hr investigations: For 8-hr investigations, your group can set the time that it wants. Typically groups choose 8 pm to 4 am, but you can set the time you prefer. Some groups want to arrive at 7 pm. Others want to arrive at midnight. Occassionally some want to come during the day. It's your investigation, and we leave it up to you to decide when you would prefer to book time in the home. Sleeping at the Roff Home: Groups that book 8-hr investigations are welcome to sleep at the Roff Home after their investigation has ended. What is the minimum number of people required for a paranormal investigation? Four people, preferably living, are requested as a minimum. Other people ? often alive, but other times in spirit form ? also are welcome to attend. Smaller groups are welcome, but the minimum four-person fee would be charged. What is the maximum number of people allowed for an investigation? We usually suggest that groups be limited to 20 or fewer people. When there are more than 20 people, the house feels crowded and your ability to control chatter becomes more difficult. The upper limit on people is more of a recommendation than a steadfast rule. If you have 21 or 22 people in your group and are confident that the number won't be disruptive to your experience here, that's fine. Will I have access to the entire home? Is anything off limits? During your overnight or investigation, you will have access to more than 95% of the square footage of the home. We only keep one room locked, which is a small room upstairs that is used as an office space. During your time in the home, the owner and his two cats will cloister themselves in the office space to leave you on your own in the home. Beyond the small office space, you will have access to all other rooms upstairs, as well as all rooms downstairs on the first floor and the entire basement. If this isn't enough, the owner will let you peek in the office space to satisfy your curiosity. Tours If I want a tour of the home, do I need a reservation or can I just show up? Since the Roff Home is a private residence, please contact us to book a time in the home. My relative/friend/boyfriend/sig-ot is scared of your home. What should I tell him/her to convince him/her to visit the home? The Watseka Wonder story is a story of healing. Lurancy Vennum came here a very sick girl and left 100 days later, completely healed. If a stay in the house can help cure a possessed girl, ask Mr. Scaredy Pants to think about what it could do for that patch of itchy eczema. And by the way, don't show him the evidence section of the website. About the home Is the Roff Home a museum or private residence? The Roff Home is a private residence. Due to the popularity of the Watseka Wonder story and the interest it generates, the owner of the Roff Home opens its doors for individuals and groups to experience the home where much of the Watseka Wonder story took place. Please contact us to book a time. I saw "The Possessed." The Roff Home looked like a wreck in that film. What renovation work has gone on since then? The Roff Home is getting a major facelift, with significant renovation and restoration work having been completed since the filming of "The Possessed." Most of the exterior woodwork of doors, windows, and eaves has been restored and repainted. Most of the interior walls of the home have been replastered. Some of the original hardwood floors have been sanded and refinished. More work will continue until the home is completely restored and renewed. (You can read about renovation work on the Roff Home blog.) Proceeds Where does the money go from tours and investigations? When the current owner purchased the Roff Home, it was in desperate need of a gut renovation to save it. Indeed, the home was in such bad shape that it had been recommended to both the past owners and to the current owner that the home be demolished. The current owner has been adamant that the home be saved. It is a local gem of Victorian Italianate architecture, the first brick residence in the town and perhaps the county, the home of one of the founders of the town, the home of various important people in the town's history, and the home where much of the Watseka Wonder story took place. The Roff Home has captured people's imaginations for more than a century, and it has been well worth the effort to save it. The money you pay to investigate the home goes directly back into the home to pay for renovation and restoration work. Your tour, investigation or overnight stay will help save this home so people can continue to explore and experience the Watseka Wonder story. More on Your Visit to the Roff Home
Contact the Roff Home to book time in the home. |
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Copyright (c) 2010 The Roff Home. Watseka, IL. All Rights Reserved. |
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