Witches of Pennsylvania: Occult History and Lore

A Spooky Season special event! Join us on All Souls Day at the NAFF Center as we explore the history of witchcraft in Pennsylvania.

"As English and German settlers migrated to Pennsylvania, they brought their beliefs in magic with them from the Old World—sometimes with dangerous consequences. In 1802, for example, an Allegheny County judge helped an accused witch escape an angry mob. But Susan Mummey was not so fortunate. In 1934, she was killed in her home by a young Schuylkill County man who was convinced that she had cursed him.

In other regions of the state, views on folk magic were more complex. While hex doctors were feared in the Pennsylvania German tradition, powwowers were and are revered for their abilities to heal, lift curses and find lost objects. In this revealing study, author Thomas White traces the undercurrent of witchcraft and occultism through centuries of Pennsylvania history."

ABOUT THE HOST "Thomas White is the university archivist and curator of special collections in the Gumberg Library at Duquesne University. He is also an adjunct lecturer in Duquesne's history department and an adjunct professor of history at La Roche College."

Refreshments will be provided and a Q&A facilitated by IUP Professors of Anthropology Dr. Amanda Poole & Dr. Abigail Adams will follow White's presentation.