“Countermagic and Protective Magic in Early New England”

At online

South Berwick, Maine- Old Berwick Historical Society will present an online lecture titled “Countermagic and Protective Magic in Early New England” on Wednesday, October 23 at 7:00pm via Zoom. The lecture is free and no registration is required. 

In early New England, magic was used to protect houses and generally ward off evil - horseshoes over doors, shoes buried in walls by fireplaces, hexafoils by doors, and witches' bottles. In this talk, archeologist Tad Baker discusses this practice, including evidence of it at the local Chadbourne archeological site.

Emerson "Tad" Baker is a historical archaeologist and professor of history at Salem State University. He is well known in academic circles for his extensive work on witchcraft in Colonial America, as well as for his work on numerous archaeological sites along the East Coast of the United States. Baker ran the Chadbourne dig in South Berwick, ME, sponsored by the Old Berwick Historical Society, and is currently collecting data to support a dig focused on the early Scottish indentured servants that eventually settled along the Salmon Falls River. 

The lecture is free and open to the public. The link to the lecture is posted on the home page of www.oldberwick.org. The lecture will be recorded and posted to the society’s website. The Old Berwick Historical Society’s 2024 lectures are generously sponsored by Kennebunk Savings and supported by historical society members and donors.