American Witches ─ A Broomstick Tour Through Four Centuries

Throughout history, the specter of witchcraft has mesmerized us. And witches aren't mere faraway threats; American history is brimming with tales of their terror. From 19th-century murders to a bizarre monkey-faced creature straight from Hell and bewitched pigs hell-bent on revenge, Witches in America: Shocking True Stories of Witchcraft in the New World describes the strange incidents that have long been banished to the margins of our history.

On a tour through four centuries of American witchcraft that's both whimsical and startling, we'll encounter 17th-century children flying around inside their New England home like geese.” We'll meet a father-son tag-team of pious Puritans who embarked on an anti-witch mission that involved undressing young ladies and overseeing hangings. And on the eve of the Civil War, we'll accompany a reporter as he dons a dress and goes searching for witches in New York City's most dangerous neighborhoods.

Entertainingly readable and rich in amazing details often left out of today's texts, Witches in America casts a flickering torchlight into the dark corners of American history.

Susan Fair is most at home exploring the crossroads of weirdness and history. Her writing has appeared in many publications includingBlue Ridge Country, Taps ParaMagazine, and several newspapers. She also writes forCryptomundo, the Rumpus, and other awesome sites. She works for a public library and at the Boonsboro Museum of History, which houses lots of relics of weird history, including an actual witch’s spell book. Susan lives on the shoulder of South Mountain in Western Maryland.