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Welcome to your free bi-weekly newsletter from Connecticut Explored with the latest stories, the newest Grating the Nutmeg podcast, programs and exhibitions from our partners to see/watch this month, and more!
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A Witch Doctor in Wethersfield
On February 27, 1715/1716* Samuel Howard’s 16-year-old daughter Susannah gave sworn testimony in court about a conversation she had had with Dr. Alexander Williamson in the presence of her sister Abigail and their friend Eunice Butler.
Susannah said, he told her “he could bewitch a witch and he could raise the spirits and lay them [down]again at his pleasure.” Williamson bragged that “there was a witch lived near to his father that would bewitch his creatures in his yard several times and if it was done when he was abroad, when he Came home and went into the yard he could make them all well again.” Then, she alleged, he told her the most frightening thing of all, that he had been charged twice in England with witchcraft. The clerk of the court, Hezekiah Wyllys, dutifully wrote down Susannah’s testimony.
Katherine Hermes dives into this fascinating story, and what it reveals about the changing power of witchcraft suspicions during this period.
If Susannah’s testimony is accurate, this transcript is the first document in Connecticut that demonstrates an admission to practicing witchcraft that was not coerced or produced under duress.
Twenty-four years earlier the words of teenage girls had produced witchcraft panics in Salem, Massachusetts, and Fairfield, Connecticut, but in 1715/16 the claims of Susannah and two adolescent witnesses were largely ignored.
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The Latest From Grating the Nutmeg
Baseball Runs in the Springer Family
You can’t find a better local story about baseball, family, and community than that of the Springer family of New Britain. In this episode, Natalie Belanger chats with George Springer, Jr.
George is a very proud dad. His daughters Nicole and Lena played collegiate softball, and both went on to play for the Puerto Rican National team. His son, George Springer III, plays right field for the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2017, when he played for the Houston Astros, he was an MLB All-Star and named World Series MVP.
But if George Jr. Is a proud dad, he’s equally a proud son. You’ll hear him tell the story of how his dad, George Springer Senior, migrated to Connecticut from Panama in the 1950s and blazed a trail as an educator, overcoming racial prejudice that denied him access to some jobs, all while instilling a love of sports in his son. George tells us about the ways that sports, particularly baseball, helped to foster community in the ethnically diverse towns like Bristol and New Britain where he and his dad raised their families.
Listen: Baseball Runs in the Springer Family
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Month
Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition in Hartford
August 12 - November 5 | Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, Hartford
This fall the Connecticut Museum is hosting the Smithsonian traveling exhibition ¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas. It explores the historic role that baseball has played as a social and cultural force within Latino communities across the world, and how Latinos in particular have influenced and changed the game.
Learn more at connecticutmuseum.org
Calling All Shakespeare Fans
Thursday, Oct. 5 at 6:00 p.m | Pequot Library, Southport
You're invited to Pequot Library’s Exhibition Opening Reception. Attend the Shakespearean Futures Panel Discussion and Keynote Presentation with Pulitzer Prize Prize-winning historian Stepehn Greenblatt!
Learn more at pequotlibrary.org
Celebrate of Indigenous Peoples' Day in Nowashe Village
Monday, Oct. 9 from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm | Nowashe Village, South Windsor
There will be a wide variety of offerings throughout the day.
James Beard Award-winning Chef Sherry Pocknett (Mashpee Wampanoag) will present an Indigenous food demonstration. Sly Fox Den also will have a pop-up tent serving Indigenous foods and beverages to paying customers.
The Sin Fronteras group will be performing live throughout the day. These Indigenous musicians from South America play traditional instruments, such as the flute and charango.
Join outdoors guide Jack Albano for a tour of the CT River in South Windsor.
Suggested donation: $5 per child, $10 for adults, $25 per family.
Details (including registration to reserve your canoe ride) at Nowashe.org
Teaching Native American History in the Classroom and Beyond
Friday, Oct. 20 | The Old State House, Hartford
The Connecticut Legislature recently passed a law that requires school districts to include Native American studies as part of the social studies curriculum beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. The Association for the Study of Connecticut History (ASCH) will be sponsoring its annual Spring Conference, Teaching Native American History in the Classroom and Beyond. The conference will focus on scholarship and teaching strategies for K-12 teachers, students, and scholars.
Editor’s Picks
Want to explore the topics featured in this edition of the e-Newsletter? Check out these stories and podcasts from the archives.
“Wethersfield’s Witch Trials,” Connecticut Explored, Winter 2007-08
“Witchcraft in Connecticut,” Connecticut Humanities.
“African American Greats in Connecticut Baseball,” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2018.
“Workers: Play Ball!,” Connecticut Explored, Winter 2013-14.
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