Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Witch to Live:
Witch Trials in Early New England
Wednesday, October 30th, 6:30-8:00pm
Mill Hill Historic Park, 2 East Wall Street, Norwalk
Join the Norwalk Historical Society and Leslie Lindenauer, Professor and author, as we dive into the dark history of witch trials in early New England – it’s gonna be a spooky ride!
In 1692-3 in Salem, Massachusetts the courts sentenced 19 people to hang and tortured a 20th to death. At least five more people died in jail. When most people think about the historic American witch trials, it is the events in Salem that dominate.
Fewer of us are aware that dozens and perhaps hundreds of people were tried for witchcraft in New England beginning over four decades before the events in Salem. Many of those trials occurred in Connecticut. At least sixteen people in Connecticut and Massachusetts were executed for the crime, most of them women. This program will explore those trials and consider how popular representations of witches – and Salem! – have changed over time.
Light Refreshments.
Purchase Tickets : Online: $15, At the Door: $25
Net proceeds benefit the Norwalk Historical Society’s education programs and exhibitions. The Norwalk Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
About Leslie Lindenauer
Leslie Lindenauer is a Professor in the Department of History, Philosophy, and World Perspectives at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury Connecticut, where she teaches courses in early American history, public history and museum studies, the American Revolution, local history, and gender studies. She holds an A.B. from Brown University, and an MA and PhD from New York University. She is currently working on an article examining the mythologies inherent in popular representations of early American witch trials. Her book I Could Not Call Her Mother: The Stepmother in American Popular Culture, 1750-1960 was published by Lexington Books.