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State Historian Walter Woodward, an associate professor of history at the University of Connecticut, will be at the Fairfield Museum and History Center on Thursday, Oct. 9, to present a lecture on “New England’s Other Witch Hunt.”
The lecture is a part of the museum’s exhibit, “Accused: Fairfield’s Witchcraft Trials,” which looks into one of the town’s often overlooked historical events.
“While people know about Salem, they don’t know that Connecticut had a very important history of witchcraft trials before Salem,” Woodward said.
Woodward believes there is a tendency among Colonial historians “to study Massachusetts and call it New England.” This, he said, has led much of the writing about witchcraft to focus on Salem, which was effectively the end of witch hunts in the United States.
“When you think about Salem, you’re really talking about Game 7 of the World Series,” Woodward said.
Elizabeth Rose, Fairfield’s library director, took the lead in curating the exhibit, one she said has been in talks for some time.
“We were thinking about topics that were appropriate for Fairfield’s 375th anniversary year,” Rose said. “We wanted to do something with witchcraft for a while, but we’ve always had difficulty coming up with a visual presentation.”
Three historians, including Woodward, and a graphic novelist were involved in the project, which will be on display until Jan. 5.
Jamison Odone, who goes by his pen name Jakob Crane, is the graphic novelist who was commissioned to give a visual boost to the exhibit.
His work is displayed in panels in the museum. The exhibit is presented using the same storytelling techniques used in comic books and graphic novels.
Rose said the panels will be compiled into a book that will be sold at the museum and online.
“We knew there was a lot of interest in the witchcraft trials around here,” said Rose, who said finding the artist was the missing piece to making this exhibit possible.
“Accused: Fairfield’s Witchcraft Trials” is free to members of the museum and open to the public with a $5 admission fee.
Woodward will be at the museum in the early afternoon to speak with local teachers on teaching students about the witch trials, with his lecture scheduled for 7 p.m.
“People will come with one understanding of American witchcraft trials,” Woodward said. “But, while they will come in understanding Salem, they will leave with a totally different understanding.”
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