Secret Societies of the Ancient World

The Cult's Hidden Company: $600,000 and a Buried Planner Imagine walking four miles in the dark, in your socks, to make a call you haven't been free to make in two years. This was the reality for a 26-year-old man on June 1, 2018, just two days before the world was supposed to "change permanently" according to a cult leader who had amassed $600,000 from his followers. What hidden truths lie beneath the surface of this Indiana cult? In this episode, we uncover the story of Donald Tate, a man who convinced 31 people to sign over their savings and move onto a former farm, waiting for a date he claimed to have received in a vision. We explore the progression from a casual discussion group to a closed compound, the financial fraud involved, and the surprising details that emerged after the group's predicted date of change passed without incident. Person: Donald Tate Age: 43 Location: Calloway Road near Fenwick, Indiana Date: June 1, 2018 Amount: $600,000 - Donald Tate convinced 31 people to sign over their savings and sell their vehicles. - Craig Bauer, 26, walked four miles in his socks to make a phone call to his mother. - Tate had no engineering credentials, despite claiming to be a former structural engineer. - Craig Bauer transferred $2,500 to the Carver Basin Trust within three months of joining. - The group's predicted date of change was two days after June 1, 2018.

The Seed Catalog: How a Cult Stole Everything A dry seed catalog found in a wet field led investigators to uncover a quiet, invisible unraveling that began in 2015. How did a cult steal everything from people like Wendy Draper, a woman who knew exactly who she was and where she belonged? In this episode, we explore the story of Wendy Draper, a fifty-year-old hardware store owner who joined the Culver Compact, a group led by Norman Mitchell. We delve into how Mitchell, posing as a former agricultural extension officer, built a community that ultimately led to financial losses for its members. Person: Shannon Bennett Date: May 14, 2019 Location: Mercer County, Ohio Group: The Culver Compact Members: 23 adult members - A seed catalog, found dry in a wet field, had been sitting there for almost two years. - Wendy Draper's hardware store, Draper's Hardware, had been on the corner of Culver Road and Merton Street since 1952. - Norman Mitchell, 61 years old, began appearing at community meetings in Prattsville in the summer of 2015. - Glenda Park lost approximately forty thousand dollars from her mother's fixed-income account to the Compact Trust. - The routing number for the Compact Trust pointed to a bank in Ellenville, Ohio, 200 miles from Prattsville.

The Seven Pairs of Shoes Left Behind Seven pairs of shoes sat neatly on rain-soaked gravel, dry and undisturbed, as if their owners had simply vanished. What happened at the Brightwell Springs Wellness Retreat that led to such an unsettling discovery? In this episode, we explore the story of Brightwell Springs, a forty-acre property in Tuller County, Tennessee, and the man who understood how to hold people without locks or chains. We delve into the life of Marcia Morgan, a young woman seeking relief from exhaustion and grief, and how an ordinary Tuesday afternoon led her to a place from which she would not leave for over ten months. Person: Jeffrey Stewart Date: April 19, 2014 Location: Brightwell Springs Wellness Retreat, Tuller County, Tennessee Event: Discovery of seven pairs of shoes Topic: Cults and manipulation - Fourteen-year-old Jeffrey Stewart discovered seven pairs of dry shoes on wet gravel at 6 AM. - Marcia Morgan, 22, worked double shifts for 14 months after her mother's stroke. - John Duncan, 51, purchased the 40-acre Brightwell Springs property in 2012. - Duncan's 10-day introductory retreat cost $1,800, available on a payment plan. - Marcia Morgan arrived at Brightwell Springs on June 3, 2013, and missed her weekly visit to her mother within three weeks.

The Unsent Letters: Trapped by Choice or Coercion? Imagine discovering 47 sealed, stamped letters, addressed but never mailed, found in a box by a snowplow on a rural road. These unsent letters, meant for loved ones, reveal a chilling truth about a seemingly voluntary community. What secrets did the Draper farm hold, and why were these messages of connection deliberately suppressed? In this episode, we delve into the story of Thomas Bowers, a methodical landscaper who joined the Remnant of Open Country, a group led by Charles Christensen. We explore how a community that appeared to offer intentional living slowly transformed into something far more controlling, culminating in a shocking discovery and a criminal conviction. Case: The Remnant of Open Country Person: Thomas Bowers Location: Draper farm, Fenwick Township, Wisconsin Date: March 2010 (letters discovered) Conviction: Charles Christensen, October 2011 - A snowplow operator found 47 unsent letters on Silo Road in March. - Thomas Bowers, 38, wrote to his sister Beverly: "I am still here. I don't know if I chose this." - Charles Christensen was convicted on all counts in Alderton County in October 2011. - Thomas Bowers contributed $4,000 when the group leased the Draper farm in February 2009. - The community's "circle of accounting" evolved from check-ins to a system of group monitoring.

The Clocks That Made Them Forget Imagine finding forty-seven analog clocks, all stopped at the same time, in an abandoned house where someone had recently been. What chilling secret did these clocks hold about a missing woman and a system designed to make people forget? In this episode, we explore the unsettling discovery made by a utility technician in Sutter Falls, Ohio, and the disappearance of Connie Brown. We delve into how a seemingly innocuous grief support circle transformed into something far more sinister, leaving investigators with a mystery that defied conventional explanation. Date: February 11, 2019 Location: Sutter Falls, Ohio Person: Michelle Wallace Event: Discovery of 47 analog clocks Missing Person: Connie Brown - A utility technician found 47 analog clocks arranged in a circle on a living room floor. - Each of the 47 clocks was stopped at exactly 6:14 in the morning. - Seven of the clocks had the letters "C.B." scratched into their faces. - Connie Brown, 61, had been missing for eleven days when the clocks were found. - Connie's husband, Frank, died at 6:14 in the morning in 2015.

The Pink Bicycle and the Quiet Cult A child's pink bicycle, standing upright in six inches of fresh snow with no tracks leading to it, begins a story of quiet manipulation and financial control. How did a seemingly innocuous object lead investigators to a secluded compound and a nine-year-old girl named Cassie Pruett? In this episode, we uncover the origins of a quiet cult, starting with a young woman seeking relief from chronic illness and finding Thomas Ford at a wellness fair. We explore the methods Ford used to draw people in, the escalating financial commitments, and the unsettling experiences of those who joined his community. Person: Linda Lawson Date: January 14, 2019 Location: Larkin, Nebraska Event: Discovery of a pink bicycle Organization: Groundwork Holdings - George Walker discovered a child's pink bicycle in six inches of fresh snow at 6:15 AM. - Cassie Pruett, a nine-year-old girl, owned the pink bicycle, which had been confiscated seven months prior. - Linda Lawson, 23, with a business administration degree, joined Thomas Ford's program in August 2015. - Thomas Ford purchased Pelham Ranch, a 412-acre property, through Groundwork Holdings, paying cash. - Linda Lawson transferred $32,000 to Groundwork Holdings in stages during spring 2016.

The Birthday Cake Left at the Cult Fence A utility meter reader found a birthday cake with twelve unlit candles and no footprints on a cold December morning, left at the fence line of a secluded property. This seemingly innocent discovery was a distress signal from a woman who had not left a residential community in over five years. What compelled her to leave this silent message? In this episode, we uncover the story of Kim Powell, a 43-year-old woman from Morganville, Ohio, who found herself entangled in an "intentional living community" called Shady Pines. We explore how a seemingly ordinary life led her to a place she couldn't imagine leaving, and the quiet desperation that eventually led to a desperate act. Person: Kim Powell Date: December 17, 2019 Location: Laurel Fork Township, Beckford County, Ohio Community: Shady Pines Founder: Carl Sullivan - Dean Burke, a utility meter reader, discovered the birthday cake on his route. - The cake had white frosting, pink lettering, and twelve unlit candles. - The woman who baked the cake had not left the community in five years and four months. - Kim Powell moved to Shady Pines in September 2014. - Kim transferred forty-one thousand dollars to the Shady Pines Community Trust within her first year.

The Man Who Rebuilt the Same Trap Twice Imagine a notarized document, dated November 2, 2011, assigning a woman's entire inheritance to a foundation she couldn't control, stamped by a notary who had been in jail since November 11. This impossible fact unravels the true nature of the Pineward Collective, a supposed community offering a fresh start. How could a man in custody notarize a legal document, and what does this reveal about the cult-like group he founded? In this episode, we explore the story of Darlene Gardner, a reliable and precise woman who, at 29, was drawn into the Pineward Collective, investing her $38,000 inheritance in what she believed was a co-housing venture. We uncover how Bruce Riley, the collective's founder, subtly manipulated legal documents to strip members of their ownership rights, leaving them trapped and vulnerable. Person: Darlene Gardner Amount: Thirty-eight thousand dollars Date: November 2, 2011 Location: Braden Event: Notarized document surfaced - Darlene Gardner was 32 years old and had given three years of her life to the Pineward Collective. - The Pineward Collective was a 40-acre property located eleven miles outside Braden. - Bruce Riley, the founder, was 51 years old when he pitched the co-housing idea. - The founding charter of the Stewardship Foundation of Portell County was incorporated by Riley the previous year. - Darlene wired $38,000 to the Stewardship Foundation in June of 2008.

The Beautiful Music That Stole Everything Imagine finding a musical score, sixty pages of cream-colored paper, bone-dry after two inches of rain, tucked into a fallen ash tree. This impossible discovery on the Ruth Smith Trail would unravel a seven-year mystery involving a choral group and a man whose music built a world intelligent adults chose not to leave. How could beautiful music become a trap? In this episode, we explore the unsettling case of a found musical folio that led investigators to a charismatic choral director, Raymond Barnes, and the group he led. We delve into the subtle mechanisms of control and the power of trust that allowed a seemingly innocent amateur chorus to become something far more sinister. Person: Linda Marsh Date: October fourteenth Location: Ruth Smith Trail, Portsmith Event: Discovery of a hand-sewn musical score Group: Chorale of the Ascending Form - The discovered musical score was 60 pages, cream-colored heavy paper, with brown ink. - Two inches of rain had fallen in the four days prior to the discovery, yet the folio was untouched. - Raymond Barnes directed the Chorale of the Ascending Form, which had roughly 20 members at any given time. - Denise Hoffman, a 51-year-old office manager, joined the Chorale after a colleague's referral. - Raymond Barnes kept 14 spiral notebooks filled with observations about members, none of which were found by investigators.

The Doctor Who Starved His Patients A bound medical chart, discovered by a fisherman in a Georgia river, revealed a shocking truth: a man with one semester of pre-med coursework was operating a residential program where 31 people voluntarily checked in and began to waste away. What dark secrets did this "doctor" hide, and how long did it take for the outside world to notice this cult? In this episode, we uncover the story of Heron Glade, a seemingly innocuous program that promised cellular restoration but delivered something far more sinister. We follow the journey of Marie Rice, who entered the program seeking healing for early-stage lupus, only to find herself trapped in a world where hunger was called "resistance" and weight loss, "cellular liberation." Person: Keith Wilson Location: Heron Glade, Faylo, Georgia Date: September 11, 2019 Event: Discovery of medical chart - Earl Turner found a waterlogged medical chart in the Cassen River on September 11, 2019. - Marie Rice weighed 91 pounds when she left Heron Glade, down from her baseline of 143 pounds. - Investigators found 47 charts in Wilson's office, with 7 ending abruptly mid-record. - Keith Wilson withdrew from a pre-medicine undergraduate program after one semester in 1991. - The Bodily Covenant Program at Heron Glade charged a fee of $2,300 per month.