Find and Share Events with Friends 🥳
x
Grace Sherwood: The History Behind the Legend of the Witch of Pungo promotional image
Company Profile Image

Grace Sherwood: The History Behind the Legend of the Witch of Pungo

Lecture

What’s Happening?

When Grace Sherwood was ducked in the Lynnhaven River during her trial for witchcraft in 1706, she became a foundational part of Virginia’s folklore and culture. People have been sharing stories about “the Witch of Pungo” for generations, and to many she remains “Virginia’s Witch.” Thanks to the popularity of these legends, the reality of Grace Sherwood’s life and trial is often told using a blend of fact and fiction. This lecture will reveal the history behind the legend. Using original colonial records, many of which have been previously undiscovered, it will describe the life of Grace Sherwood, her family, and her accusers. It will also embed her trial within the broader history of European and North American witch trials in an effort to uncover why so many people thought she was a witch.

Dr. Scott Moore is an associate professor of history at Eastern Connecticut State University. His research explores the development of identity and the way legends, folklore, and history shape that identity. He is a native of Virginia Beach and is the author of The Witch of Pungo: Grace Sherwood in Virginia History and Legend.

When Grace Sherwood was ducked in the Lynnhaven River during her trial for witchcraft in 1706, she became a foundational part of Virginia’s folklore and culture. People have been sharing stories about “the Witch of Pungo” for generations, and to many she remains “Virginia’s Witch.” Thanks to the popularity of these legends, the reality of Grace Sherwood’s life and trial is often told using a blend of fact and fiction. This lecture will reveal the history behind the legend. Using original colonial records, many of which have been previously undiscovered, it will describe the life of Grace Sherwood, her family, and her accusers. It will also embed her trial within the broader history of European and North American witch trials in an effort to uncover why so many people thought she was a witch.

Dr. Scott Moore is an associate professor of history at Eastern Connecticut State University. His research explores the development of identity and the way legends, folklore, and history shape that identity. He is a native of Virginia Beach and is the author of The Witch of Pungo: Grace Sherwood in Virginia History and Legend.

More about Virginia Museum of History Culture
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture was founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical Society. The oldest museum in Virginia and one of the oldest in the United States, the VMHC has devoted nearly two centuries to collecting and preserving the artifacts of our past to share the far-reaching history of the Commonwealth of Virginia with the world. Today, this nationally respected museum and research organization cares for a renowned history collection totaling more than nine million items and engages hundreds of thousands of Virginians and other guests annually.
When & Where
Jul 25, 2024, 12:00pm to 1:00pm Timezone: EDT
$10.00


More events from Virginia Museum of History Culture