[Winona Online Democracy]
The Winona County Historical Society is sponsoring a program on Wednesday
October 25 which may seem beyond our scope of interest but just may be
worthwhile depending how our Courthouse Crisis play out.
On November 29 Dr. Greg Gaut will discuss the "original" Courthouse Crisis.
As Halloween approaches, ghosts, goblins and witches are on view everywhere.
The most common depiction of a witch is modeled on the Wicked Witch of the
West from The Wizard of Oz--a skinny hag with a hooked nose, riding a broom in
a black dress and pointy hat. But witchcraft and witches have a darker history
than Dorothy's enemy, and the treatment of people accused of witchcraft is far
from fantasy.
In Europe, hundreds of women were tortured, hung, burned, drowned, and pressed
to death with stones because they were accused of being witches. In America,
the famous witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts have become a metaphor for
suspicion and blacklisting. Modern witches contend with the negative images of
the past as they try to practice their ancient, earth-centered religion.
WSU professor Sandra Bennett will discuss the history of "Witchcraft in Olde
New England" at the Winona County Historical Society's "Food for Thought"
series on Wednesday October 25, The presentation will be at Noon in the Armory
Museum, 160 Johnson Street. Sack lunches can be ordered in advance by calling
454-2723 before October 25.
William L. Crozier, Ph.D.
professor of history emeritus
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
700 Terrace Heights #54
Winona, MN 55987
phone: 507-452-9690
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