About This Episode
What is this episode about?
The episode "Haunted Portage, Wisconsin Part 1" from Dark Matter Moms covers the eerie stories featured in the book Haunted Portage, Wisconsin by Shelley Mordini and Sharon Hart Addy. Rather than a single criminal case, this episode turns to the ghostly visitors, spirits said to linger in attics, and strange encounters that have become local legend in this historic Wisconsin city.
The hosts walk through the book's accounts of hauntings tied to Portage, exploring how these stories have taken root in the city's history and local folklore over time. The focus stays on the supernatural tales themselves — the figures, encounters, and settings that give Portage its reputation as a haunted place — rather than on a documented crime or police investigation.
Hosts and release
Dark Matter Moms is a true crime podcast covering cases from Wisconsin, hosted by two mothers who typically work through court documents and police reports. For this episode, the format shifts toward local ghost lore rather than a criminal case, as the hosts examine the haunted history collected in Mordini and Addy's book. The show has released 17 episodes as of its most recent installment in September 2026. This particular episode, numbered 21 and running 33 minutes, was released on October 19, 2026, as the first part of a look at Portage's haunted past.
