SPIRITUALISM: Mediums, Ectoplasm, and Floating Tables – America’s Forgotten Obsession With The Dead

At a time when speaking to the dead was a national obsession, America’s séance rooms became theaters of mystery, manipulation, and maybe — just maybe — real contact with the other side.

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Listen to “SPIRITUALISM: Mediums, Ectoplasm, and Floating Tables – America’s Forgotten Obsession With The Dead” on Spreaker.

ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.
DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
IN THIS EPISODE: A young wife, home alone with her husband in the military, begins experiencing strange happenings in their apartment. *** On a rainy night, a man begins to hear strange sounds from above that can’t be explained. *** A WeirdDarkness listener tells their story of being terrified by an entity… for over 21 years. *** A deceased relative saves the life of one woman – her husband tells us the story. *** An invisible friend decides to show up, uninvited, on a camping trip in an original story submitted by a WeirdDarkness subscriber. *** America… the home of baseball, apple pie, jazz, and… the birth of spiritualism. (Spiritualism) *** Was the legendary serial killer the Zodiac a hoax? (Zodiac: The Phantom Killer)

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Lead-In
00:00:44.845 = Show Open
00:02:01.113 = Spiritualism
00:15:22.415 = Apartment From Hell
00:26:19.681 = From Above
00:30:21.799 = Him
00:42:35.551 = My Deceased Nan Saved My Life
00:45:31.063 = The Camping Trip
01:05:19.277 = Zodiac: The Phantom Killer
01:41:44.891 = Show Close

SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“Apartment From Hell” submitted to WeirdDarkness.com by Lacy T.
“From Above” submitted to WeirdDarkness.com by Sabby Ray (https://www.facebook.com/ray.saibal)
“Him” submitted to WeirdDarkness.com by Taylor Rydbom https://www.facebook.com/taylor.rydbom
“My Deceased Nan Saved My Life” submitted anonymously at WeirdDarkness.com
“The Camping Trip” submitted to WeirdDarkness.com by Michael
“Zodiac: The Phantom Killer”: https://theunredacted.com/zodiac-serial-murders-the-phantom-killer/
“Spiritualism” by Troy Taylor: https://www.facebook.com/authortt/posts/1875815915848719?__tn__=K-R
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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: November 03, 2017

EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/Spiritualism