Enchanted Plants: An Exploration of Common and Uncommon Plants in Folklore and Magic
2026-05-07 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual Event
From the tangled forest to the garden gate, join folklorist, rotten botanist, and author Varla Ventura for an exploration of some of the world’s most enchanted plants. We’ll start in the Queen’s Garden of cultivars, then amble over to the Cottage Garden where ordinary plants offer extraordinary stories. Carefully we’ll slip through the iron gates of the Witch’s Garden to discover poison plants that have shaped history. We’ll gallop on to meadowlands, forests, and finally the sea. From the ordinary apple to the fabulous foxglove, we’ll discover plants that have played a significant role in fairy tales, folklore, and history.
This free virtual program will be hosted on Thursday, May 7th at 6:00 pm ET. Please register here.

Our Founding Mothers and Fathers: More Revolutionary War Connections to the Salem Witch Trials
2026-09-17 13:00 - 14:00
Each year we meet hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals who can trace their family line back to the Salem witch trials. We often tell visitors that the English colonists of 1692 were the founding fathers and mothers of our country. They were themselves descended from the earliest settlers, who were establishing a new country and took the biblical instruction “be fruitful and multiply” to heart.
It is fascinating to consider the many connections between the Salem witch trials and the Revolutionary War generation, particularly the one most often referred to as our “Founding Fathers.” Part II of our Rev250 lecture series will focus on four more connections, including witchcraft skeptic Robert Calef, Ipswich court clerk Thomas Wade, condemned witch Mary Bradbury, and accuser Bathsheba Pope.
Join us on Thursday, September 17th at 1:00 pm for this free, virtual program.
Registration is required for this event. Please register here.
