Windsor Chamber of Commerce

Phone: 860-688-5165
Fax: 860-688-0809

261 Broad St, Windsor, CT 06095

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October, 2010

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Event:

New England's Other Witch Hunt at Windsor Historical Society

Date:

October 19th, 2010.

Time:

7:00 PM

Location:

Windsor Historical Society

Join us at the Windsor Historical on Tuesday, October 19, at 7 p.m. for a fascinating look at alchemy, witchcraft, and Connecticut Governor John Winthrop Jr. Decades before Salem's witch trials, Connecticut put seven people to death for witchcraft including Alse Young and Lydia Gilbert of Windsor. Many more were accused and tried.
This presentation by Connecticut State Historian Walter Woodward focuses on Connecticut Governor John Winthrop Jr. and the Hartford witch hunt of the 1660's. Taken from Woodward's new book, Prospero's America: John Winthrop Jr., Alchemy, and the Creation of Early New England Culture, the presentation will show how this colonial alchemist, physician, political leader, and authority on the occult intervened to transform Connecticut from New England's fiercest witch-hunting colony into a place that ended witchcraft executions permanently a generation before Salem.

Belief in magic and fear of witchcraft was deeply embedded in the mindset of New England Puritans. Winthrop, one of early Connecticut's most influential governors, was a lifelong student of alchemy and related occult philosophies, believing that alchemical studies held useful insights for medicine and industry. Although he believed in witchcraft's reality, he was also a sought-after physician who knew the root causes of maladies which were often attributed to the powers of witchcraft. Winthrop was tolerant in matters of religion -- something we rarely associate with Puritans. His studies, his authority as Connecticut's governor, and his powers of logic led him to oppose and end the execution of witches in Connecticut. Woodward's presentation will reveal a colonial Connecticut most of us never knew was there: a place where many dedicated natural philosophers sought to use the kind of secret knowledge we usually encounter only in Dan Brown's novels for the good of humankind and the glory of God. Cost for the presentation is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students and $4 for Society members. Parking is available in the Windsor Discovery Center and First Church parking lots, and around Palisado Green.

The Windsor Historical Society, founded in 1921, invites visitors to explore the people, places, and events that have shaped Windsor for over 370 years. The Society's museum includes changing and permanent exhibition galleries; a hands-on history learning center for families; a research library and manuscript collection housing Windsor photographs, documents, ephemera, and genealogical materials; a museum gift shop and two historic houses open to the public: the 1758 John and Sarah Strong House and the 1767 Dr. Hezekiah Chaffee House.

The Windsor Historical Society is located at 96 Palisado Avenue (Route 159) and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. General admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and students, and free to children under 12 and Society members. Call (860) 688-3813 or visit us on the web at www.windsorhistoricalsociety.org for directions to the Society and more information about programs.

October, 2010

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