Witch Panic! Massachusetts Before Salem

Salem’s witch trials were the last frenzy of witchcraft accusations in colonial New England. But what happened before 1692? This virtual lecture with Elizabeth Kapp, Curator of History at the Springfield Museums, examines the accusations of Mary Lewis and Hugh Parsons in 1651.

A married couple living in Springfield, the Parsons faced accusations of witchcraft over forty years before the events of Salem. Listen to their neighbors’ testimony and explore how evidence came from aspects of everyday colonial life. Uncover how their alleged witchcraft involves one of the first banned books in English North America and learn how the edition on display connects Springfield to the Salem Witch Trials.

The exhibit Witch Panic! Massachusetts Before Salem is on display at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History through November 2, 2025.