Events and Programs

Salem Witch Hysteria Begins: Anniversary, March

March, 1692

Several teenaged girls from the Massachusetts Bay Colony Village of Salem exhibited bizarre behavior towards the end of February, 1692, and attributed their ailments to witches. Three women were then arrested on Feb. 29, 1692. One of the accused, Tituba, a West Indian Slave, broke down under questioning on March 1, 1692, and admitted to being a witch. By the end of April, nineteen women had been accused of witchcraft and were jailed, including a four-year-old child. Massachusetts governor Sir William Phips, seeking to control the growing terror, ordered trials held. By October, nineteen people had been hanged, five had died in jail, one had been tortured to death and more than 150 had been imprisoned. Two dogs were also executed. On Jan. 14, 1697, Judge Samuel Sewall publicly apologized and a court-ordered day of atonement began. In 1711, all those accused of witchcraft were pardoned by the colony’s legislature.

Materials available from the library:

Fiction | Plays | Salem | Witchcraft

Fiction

Bound by Flame: A Novel of the Dark Crescent Sisterhood by Anna Windsor.

Brida: A Novel by Paulo Coelho.

Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton.

The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent.

Hex Appeal by Linda Wisdom.

The House of the Seven Gables: A Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry.

Like a Charm by Candace Havens.

Magic and the Modern Girl by Mindy Klasky.

The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison.

Romancing the Dead by Tate Hallaway.

Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra.

The Shape of Mercy: A Novel by Susan Meissner.

Susannah Morrow by Megan Chance.

Tangled Webs: A Black Jewels Novel by Anne Bishop.

Wild & Hexy by Vicki Lewis Thompson.

The Widows of Eastwick by John Updike.

Plays

The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts by Arthur Miller. 812.52 M612cr

Nonfiction/Salem

A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials by Laurie Winn Carlson. 133. 43097445 C197f

In the Devil's Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 by Mary Beth Norton. 133.43097445 N825i

The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege by Marilynne K. Roach. 133.43097445 R53s

The Salem Witch Trials Reader by Frances Hill. 133.43097445 H551s

Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials by Marc Aronson. 133.43097445 Ar67w

Nonfiction/Witchcraft

Cottage Witchery: Natural Magick for Hearth and Home by Ellen Dugan. 133.43 D878c

Circle, Coven & Grove: A Year of Magickal Practice by Deborah Blake. 299.94 B581c

Craft of the Wild Witch: Green Spirituality & Natural Enchantment by Poppy Palin. 133.43 P176c

Crafting Wiccan Traditions: Creating a Foundation for Your Spiritual Beliefs & Practices by Raven Grimassi. 299.94 G881c

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen by Scott Cunningham. 133.44 C917c3

The Element Encylopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes. 133.44 Il6el

The Enemy within: 2,000 Years of Witch-Hunting in the Western World by John Demos. 133.4309 D399e

Goth Craft: The Magickal Side of Dark Culture by Raven Digitalis. 133.43 D569g

Inner Magic: A Guide to Witchcraft by Ann-Marie Gallagher. 133.43 G135i

Magic and Witchcraft: From Shamanism to the Technopagans by Nevill Drury. 133. 4309 D845m

Pure Magic: A Complete Course in Spellcasting by Judika Illes. 133.44 Il6p

The Temple of High Witchcraft: Ceremonies, Spheres, and the Witches' Qabalah by Christopher Penczak. 133.43 P372t

Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice by Thea Sabin. 133.43 Sa13wb

Wicca's Charm: Understanding the Spiritual Hunger Behind the Rise of Modern Witchcraft and Pagan Spirituality by Catherine Edwards Sanders. 261.2994 Sa56w

The Wiccan Book of Rites and Rituals: A Collection of Spells for Every Magickal Day of the Year by Sister Moon with the Coven of Witches and Legends. 133.44 M778w

Witchcraft in America by Peggy Saari ; Elizabeth Shaw, editor. 133. 430973 Sa12w

Witches of the World by Diane Canwell & Jonathan Sutherland. 133.43 C169w

Witches' Craft: A Multidenominational Wicca bible by Bruce K. Wilborn. 133.43 W641w

Web Resources:

Discovery Channel - learning adventures about the Salem Witch Trials.

National Geographic Salem Witch Hunt - interactive web site that recreates an online trial.

Salem Web - official site of Salem, Massachusetts. Offers a city guide, maps, information about the witch trials and witches today.

Salem Witch Museum - Salem's most visited museum. Visitors are given a dramatic history lesson using stage sets with life-size figures, lighting and a narration - an overview of the Witch Trials of 1692. Other exhibits arrive on a rotating basis.