Witches of Pennsylvania: Occult History & Lore

by Arcadia Publishing

Overview

Since William Penn presided over the state's only official witch trial in 1684, witchcraft and folk magic have been a part of the history of the Keystone State.

English and German settlers brought their beliefs in magic with them from the Old World—sometimes with dangerous consequences. In 1802, an Allegheny County judge helped an accused witch escape an angry mob. Susan Mummey was not so fortunate. In 1934, she was shot and killed in her home by a young Schuylkill County man who was convinced that she had cursed him. In other regions of the state, views on folk magic were more complex. While hex doctors were feared in the Pennsylvania German tradition, powwowers were and are revered for their abilities to heal, lift curses and find lost objects. Folklorist Thomas White traces the history and lore of witchcraft and the occult that quietly live on in Pennsylvania even today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626191327
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	06/25/2013
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	581,677
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Thomas White is the University Archivist and Curator of Special Collections in the Gumberg Library at Duquesne University. He is also an Adjunct Lecturer in Duquesne's History Department and an Adjunct Professor of History at La Roche College. He is the author of seven books with The History Press.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction. Witchcraft, Folk Healing and Hex in the Keystone State 11

1 William Perm's Witches 15

2 Powwow and Hex: The Pennsylvania German Tradition 21

3 Accounts of Witchcraft from Around the State: 1780-1920 35

4 The Hex Murders and Their Aftermath 71

5 The Witch in Urban Legend 83

Conclusion. Why Witches Won't Go 95

Selected Bibliography 97

Index 107

About the Author 111