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How To Make A Witch Bottle (And How They Work)
Last fall I gave a talk in Rowley, Massachusetts about New England witchcraft. As part of my program I showed the audience how to make a traditional New England witch bottle. Most people hadn't seen...
View ArticleTom Cook and the Devil: Be Careful What You Say
Many years ago out in Western Massachusetts there lived a man named Tom Cook.Tom was not popular in town. He was a "rough sort of customer and it was commonly believed that he was in league with the...
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Aunt Jinny, the Witch of Hillsborough, New Hampshire
When some people think about New England witchcraft, they think "Oh yeah, that terrible stuff that happened in Salem in 1692."Other people, and this probably includes you gentle reader, know that...
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Rye and Rum Pancakes? Breakfast Fit for A Pirate!
I'm taking a break this week from the usual witches, monsters and weirdness to ask a few questions:1. Has your physician told you that you need to get more rum in your diet?2. Have you ever wondered...
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Connecticut's Haunted Fairy Village
Here's a nice creepy story. Not every fairy tale has a happy ending...*****Once upon a time, in the early 1900s, a woman and her husband built themselves a stone house in Middlebury, Connecticut. They...
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The Mechanical Messiah of Lynn, Massachusetts
When John Murray Spear became a Universalist minister, I am sure he never dreamed he'd help create a mechanical messiah destined to save the world.Spear was born in 1804 in Boston, and in the early...
View ArticleAnn Hopkins and The Curse of Fire
As I've mentioned before, one of the nice things about living in New England is that you can find weird folklore almost everywhere. Well, at least I think it's one of the nice things...I've lived in...
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Little people and swamp spirits in Vermont
So we had beautiful summer weather this past weekend. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.I suppose I should have gone out roaming through the woods looking...
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Harry Potter Comes to Massachusetts: Folklore and Fiction in J.K. Rowling's...
In order to promote this fall's upcoming Harry Potter film, last week author J.K. Rowling released a new story set in the Harry Potter universe. The story is set in Massachusetts and incorporates some...
View ArticleA Witch Trial and A Slave's Testimony from 1679
A while ago I posted about how Tituba, the famous Arawak Indian slave from the Salem witch trials, came to be portrayed as black in fiction and drama.That post got a lot of hits, but I think it's...
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Weird Marblehead, Part One: Ghosts, Tunnels, and H.P. Lovecraft
This weekend my friend Lori and I took a little tour of Marblehead, Massachusetts.I don't use the word charming too much, but Marblehead is probably one of the most charming towns I have ever been to....
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Weird Marblehead, Part Two: Lee Mansion and Screaming Woman Beach
While Lori and I were in Marblehead we took a tour of the Lee Mansion. While this historic house is not officially haunted it definitely has a few weird things going on. And I mean that in a good...
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Drought, Snakes, and Rain Magic
I don't know about you, but I actually like a rainy day now and then. My favorite type of weather is a windy and cloudy day. So this long spate of clear, dry (and hot) weather has been nice enough but...
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A Troll in Somerville, Massachusetts?
One great thing about writing this blog is that I get to read lots of musty old books to find strange information. Usually those books are from the 19th century - a golden age of weird New England...
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Seductive New England Witches, Part One: Mrs. Paterson
Austin Osman Spare was born in London in December of 1886. From a young age he showed an aptitude for the arts, and by age thirteen he was working in a stained glass factory and taking art classes by...
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Seductive New England Witches, Part Two: The Freetown Forest Witch
Last week I wrote about A.O. Spare, the British art world, and witchcraft. This week I'm bringing the witchcraft back to New England for a particularly creepy story.It comes from Christopher Balzano's...
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Weird New England News: A Giant Snake in Maine, A Witch on Trial, and A...
There's been some weird stuff happening in New England recently.First up: is a giant snake on the loose in Westbrook, Maine? It seems like the answer is "yes."The story began back in early June, when a...
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Spider Gates Cemetery: Portals to Hell and College Kids in Robes
Labor Day. The end of summer.We could have gone to the beach.Instead we went looking for... the Eighth Gate to Hell!We didn't find it. Or at least I don't think we did.The trail leading to Spider...
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The Woman Who Married An Owl
It's starting to feel like fall here in Boston. The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are slowly dropping. This story from the Passamaquoddy of Maine somehow seems appropriate. A little bit...
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Defending Your House Against Evil Magic
Do you ever feel like your house is being attacked by evil witches? Do you sometimes think that malevolent demonic forces are targeting your homestead?I would suggest that healthy skepticism is usually...
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