IN PERSON- The Salem Witches

This program will be delivered via Zoom and will be streamed to our Kingsley Room. If you want to watch the program from home, register here.

When we think of witches and demons, we usually think of horror movies or Halloween. But for America’s 17th-century Puritan settlers, such beings were believed to be a reality, not superstition, and their new home in Massachusetts a place filled with fear and uncertainty. The early colonies were an experiment that—coupled with a backdrop of religious extremism—bred an anxiety so intense it ultimately turned deadly. As a result of religious/civic trials held between February 1692 and May 1693, 19 men and women were put to death following the unsustainable testimony of several young girls. In the end, the tale of the Salem witches is a frightening cautionary tale about the effects of mob psychology. Join us as we explore the Salem Witch Trials.

Led by Dr. Bill Thierfelder, a retired college professor who taught a variety of Arts and Humanities courses for 32 years at several New York universities and colleges, including St. John's University and Dowling College. He holds a Ph.D. in English, with minors in theater, art history and music history.

Like all Southbury Public Library programs, this event is free to attend and open to anyone regardless of town of residency. Registration is required. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library. For more information about this program, please email Rebecca at rrandall@biblio.org or call the reference desk at 203-262-0626 ext 2.