The Historical Society of Moorestown is hosting a three-part series on the Salem Witch Trials.
Under the autumn moon in a garden softly lit by lantern light, the Salem Witch Trials will come to life once more. The Historical Society of Moorestown will kick off a special three-part series delving into one of the most notable series of trials in Colonial America.
This past summer, the Historical Society started hosting lectures under the stars as a way to encourage residents to visit Smith-Cadbury Mansion. Mickey DiCamillo, president of the Historical Society, said they wanted to continue these lectures into the fall, and to mesh with the season, they decided a series on the Salem Witch Trials was a perfect fit.
The witch trials are an often misunderstood time period in American history, DiCamillo said. Rather than try to compress these events into one lecture, they decided it was best to split the rich history into three parts for attendees to get a more thorough understanding.
DiCamillo will lead the lecture. He first came into contact with the trials while studying Colonial America in graduate school. He said many of the American systems were established in response to the events of the Salem Witch Trials, so it became a subject he had to delve deeper into over the course of his research.
As a history professor at LaSalle University, DiCamillo found that the Salem Witch Trials were always a topic of interest to his students, so he pursued learning more about them and presented that information to his classes.
“It was a great hook to get my students to pay attention as to why we set up the sort of government we did,” DiCamillo said.
Many of the books and movies in popular culture offer an oversimplification of the events, DiCamillo said. He said “The Crucible,” for instance, is often taken as fact, and the play is not a factual telling of the trials. Through the series, DiCamillo plans to elaborate on some of the lesser-known facets of this time period.
To bring the trials to life, DiCamillo will incorporate archival documents into his lectures. Documents preserved by the University of Virginia offer a glimpse into the words spoken during the trial.
Each night, DiCamillo will have attendees take up a role and give lecture-goers a taste of what took place during the trial. He said they’re lucky there were stenographers recording the courtroom events taking place back in 1692.
Through the transcripts, the Historical Society hopes to give attendees hope to simulate how the trials unfolded.
“[The documents] bring into focus a bit of the nature of the questioning the nature of the evidence how really flimsy a lot of it was,” DiCamillo said.
DiCamillo’s goal is for attendees to leave the series with a more nuanced understanding of the trials. He said many of the themes of the trials are still relevant and emerging in society today.
The series will take place in the garden at Cadbury-Smith Mansion in Moorestown. The lectures will take place on Oct. 10, 17 and 24. Seats are limited, and attendees must reserve their space. Tickets are $15 for all three nights. Those interested in attending should email Mickey DiCamillo at [email protected].
