Entries by Dandelion

The Devil in the Details: Researching Hysteria, from the Salem Witch Trials to McCarthyism

Unsolved mysteries bug me. I want to solve them. In January of 1692, young Abigail Williams and Betty Parris fell into fits. They convulsed and barked and complained of being bitten and pinched. This kick-started the Salem witch hysteria that left twenty people dead and countless others physically and financially ruined. What caused Abigail and […]

Drinking Beer with the Dead

It’s October—Halloween month—a time when cemeteries get a bad rap. But as a historian and writer, I’d like to offer a view of cemeteries unmaligned. Not only are graveyards where our beloveds rest for eternity, but they’re also where you can find both your historical roots and fodder for your muse.