In the modern days of the 1920s, a pair of homicides that came to be known as the "Hex Murders" – and the subsequent hex scare that followed – marked a substantial turning point in American history, especially in the way that the public perceived the practice of folk magic – or what locals called "pow-wowing" – in the region.
Woods And Fields, Dark And Wicked: Episode 5, Witch Trouble At Booger Hole
In 1900, Booger Hole (named for a kind of supernatural being) in West Virginia was the scene of the horrendous murder of a witch named Annie Boggs, dealings with the devil, lynch mobs, unsolved killings, and more.
Woods And Fields, Dark And Wicked: Episode 3, The Devil Went Down To Salem (The Salem Witch Trials)
The story behind the most famous witch trials in American history. What brought the devil to Salem? How did the hysteria start, and what led to the deaths of those involved?
Woods And Fields, Dark And Wicked: Episode 2, The American Witch
Salem was far from the only "witchcraft outbreak" in American history. Witches – falsely accused and the real thing – can be found throughout the early history of America, from healers to herbalists, hex signs, and hoodoo doctors. And in some cases of accused witches, murder and death followed in the wake of public outcry. Here's what happened.
Woods And Fields, Dark And Wicked: Episode 1, The Dark Day Of Signs And Wonder
"The 19th of May 1780, was a remarkable dark day. Candles were lighted in many houses; the birds were silent and disappeared, and the fowls retired to roost. ... A very general opinion prevailed, that the Day of Judgment was at hand," Timothy Dwight wrote. The end was coming, and God had lowered his hand over the people of New England for their wickedness. Or at least that's what a lot of religious zealots believed in the spring of 1780. It seemed that the people of America were doomed. What happened that day? No one knows.