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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251031T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251031T203000
DTSTAMP:20260513T104500
CREATED:20250831T194744Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250912T023107Z
UID:10000074-1761935400-1761942600@wdsmuseum.org
SUMMARY:SPECIAL EVENT | Witches and Tombstones Spooktacular
DESCRIPTION:Join us on a special Halloween night as we descend into the witching hour. Our Halloween Spooktacular is an immersive experience that will transport you through our haunted history. \nA Spirit Guide – arisen for one night only – will escort you to the Isaac Stevens house where you will meet our weeping widow and discover the macabre funerary practices of the 19th century – an unfortunate regular occurrence for the Stevens family. As you follow your Spirit Guide\, you will pass through the Ancient Burial Ground where they will delight you with tales of some of Wethersfield’s longest serving ghouls. \nAt the Buttolph-Williams House you will partake in the trial of an accused witch and witness first-hand the hysteria that overtook 17 th -century Connecticut Puritans and led neighbors to condemn neighbors to the hangman’s noose. Your final stop on this journey through haunted history is the Silas Deane House. Unfortunately\, you will have arrived just a bit too late for poor Mrs. Deane\, but her ghost may tell you of the dark history of 18 th -century medicine that sealed her fate. If you dare to linger\, your obliging guide will invite you to toast her soul with a spirited drink in the old house. The only tour to be given after dark\, this extended Witches and Tombstones tour will haunt you long after you’ve departed. \nTickets: $55 \nTours: Friday\, October 31\, 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm. Each tour is limited to 20 souls. \nYou must be 18 years or older to participate in this tour.  Valid I.D. is required for all attendees. \nPlease note that this program lasts approximately 1.5 hours and requires the ability to walk some\ndistances over unpaved and uneven ground as well as standing for periods of time.
URL:https://wdsmuseum.org/event/special-event-witches-and-tombstones-spooktacular/
LOCATION:WDS Museum\, 211 Main Street\, Wethersfield\, CT\, 06109
CATEGORIES:Performance,Holiday Program,Special Event,Spiritual and Spooky
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251026T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251026T153000
DTSTAMP:20260513T104500
CREATED:20251013T174526Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251013T174526Z
UID:10000089-1761478200-1761492600@wdsmuseum.org
SUMMARY:SPECIAL TOURS | Witches & Tombstones Tours (NEW DATE)
DESCRIPTION:Oct 25 tours are sold out. We have added NEW tour times on October 26. Purchase tickets\, or join our expanded Halloween Spooktacular Witches and Tombstones tour on Oct 31! \nAn up-close and creepy examination of all things funereal\, our popular Witches & Tombstones tour returns on Saturday\, October 25th\, October 26th\, and November 1st. \nStart at the Isaac Stevens House as an attendee at an early-nineteenth-century wake and learn about mourning practices\, how illnesses were treated\, and how the living dealt with fears of being buried alive. Then visit Wethersfield’s Ancient Burying Ground. See the graves\, hear stories of those who met their end during Connecticut’s first mass murder\, and learn how gravestones warned the living of their own impending peril. The final stop on the tour is the Buttolph-Williams House (ca. 1711)\, the setting for the Newbery-winning children’s novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. Hear stories about the notorious Wethersfield Witch Trials\, which preceded the Salem Witch Trials by 30 years. The Buttolph-Williams House is a property of Connecticut Landmarks operated by the Webb Deane Stevens Museum. \nTour times: 11:30 a.m.\, 12:30 p.m.\, 1:30 p.m.\, and 2:30 p.m. \nPURCHASE TICKETS HERE: Members $35 per person; Non-members $40 per person. \nTours are limited to groups of 16\, so reserve your tickets before they sell out! (October 25th Tour Times are Sold Out) \n*Please note: The Witches & Tombstones tour includes climbing stairs and walking on uneven ground. It is not recommended for youth under age 12.
URL:https://wdsmuseum.org/event/special-tours-witches-tombstones-tours-new-date/
LOCATION:WDS Museum\, 211 Main Street\, Wethersfield\, CT\, 06109
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Spiritual and Spooky
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231021T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231028T143000
DTSTAMP:20260513T104500
CREATED:20230808T182748Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231020T151810Z
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SUMMARY:Witches & Tombstones Tour
DESCRIPTION:THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST! \nAn up close and creepy examination of all things funereal\, our popular Witches & Tombstones Tour returns on Saturday\, October 21\, and Saturday\, October 28. \nThe Witches & Tombstones Tour begins at The Isaac Stevens House with the wake of young Henry Stevens\, who died at the age of three. Guests will learn about 19th-century mourning practices\, how illnesses were treated\, and how the living dealt with fears of being buried alive. Next\, guests will visit the Wethersfield Ancient Burying Ground. See the graves and hear stories of those who met their end during Connecticut’s first mass murder and learn how gravestones warned the living of their own impending peril. The final stop on the Tour is The Buttolph-Williams House (c 1711)\, the setting for the award-winning children’s novel\, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. Hear stories about the notorious Wethersfield Witch Trials\, which preceded the Salem Witch Trials by 30 years. The Buttolph-Williams House is a Connecticut Landmarks property. \nTour times: 10:30am\, 11:30am\, 12:30pm\, 1:30pm\, and 2:30pm. \n*Please note: The Witches & Tombstones Tour includes climbing stairs and walking on uneven ground. This tour is not recommended for youth under age 12.
URL:https://wdsmuseum.org/event/witches-tombstones-tour-october-21-and-28/
LOCATION:WDS Museum\, 211 Main Street\, Wethersfield\, CT\, 06109
CATEGORIES:Holiday Program
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ORGANIZER;CN="WDS Museum":MAILTO:info@wdsmuseum.org
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231019T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231019T193000
DTSTAMP:20260513T104500
CREATED:20230808T174937Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231006T155810Z
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SUMMARY:Panic in Connecticut: Accused Witches Have Their Say: A performance by Virginia Wolf of Herstory Theater
DESCRIPTION:Travel back to the 17th century and hear what five women accused of witchcraft have to say. In this riveting one-woman play\, actress Virginia Wolf brings them to life\, fully costumed\, fully incensed\, fully frightened. Painstakingly researched\, Panic in Connecticut: Accused Witches Have Their Say sheds light on a Puritan society that condemned so-called witches to their death 30 years before the hysterics of Salem\, Massachusetts. \nBetween 1642 and 1693\, at least 40 people in the colony of Connecticut were tried as witches\, and at least 10 of them were hanged. Most of them were women. \nWho were these women? How did they come to be accused of witchcraft? What was life like for them? Did they truly practice witchcraft? Who were their accusers\, and why. How and why did the accusing of witches finally end…or has it? Many records are lost or non-existent\, but we can learn enough to begin to understand what life was like back then\, and why witchcraft was such an all-encompassing subject. \nReception: 6:00 pm. Performance in Webb Barn: 6:30 – 7:30 pm\, Followed by a brief talkback. Tickets available HERE. \nAbout Virginia Wolf \nVirginia is founder of Herstory Theater\, generally dedicated to bringing to life the unsung heroines of history\, as well as producing a host of additional projects that both celebrate women and history\, and a simple love of theater and performing (learn more at www.herstorytheater.com). \nShe has written and currently offers two original plays for performances\, Panic in Connecticut: Accused Witches Have Their Say\, about the Connecticut witchcraft panics of the 17th century\, and Katy Leary and Mark Twain\, bringing to life a dedicated maid to the Clemens family.  In addition\, she can be found onstage anywhere in Connecticut that will cast her!  Most recently\, she took on the role of Aurora Greenway in Terms of Endearment with the Diamond Theater Company\, and Winnie in for Playland Productions.  Other favorite roles are Barbara in August Osage County\, Anna in Night Sky\, and Joan in The Guys.  She works as a voiceover artist and audio book narrator\, and hosts “SpotLight\, Radio Reveling in the Arts and Entertainment” on WLIS/WMRD.
URL:https://wdsmuseum.org/event/panic-in-connecticut-accused-witches-have-their-say-a-performance-by-virginia-wolf-of-herstory-theater/
LOCATION:WDS Museum\, 211 Main Street\, Wethersfield\, CT\, 06109
CATEGORIES:Performance
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ORGANIZER;CN="WDS Museum":MAILTO:info@wdsmuseum.org
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231012T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231012T203000
DTSTAMP:20260513T104500
CREATED:20230808T173806Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231006T154750Z
UID:10000030-1697135400-1697142600@wdsmuseum.org
SUMMARY:Potions\, Divination\, and Protection Practices Through the Ages
DESCRIPTION:Did you know that Eye of Newt refers to the humble mustard seed? Have you ever worn jewelry you believed would protect you or displayed a cinnamon broom in your home? Maybe placed a horseshoe above your front door. Or that a popular form of countermagic in Colonial New England entailed heating a victim’s urine in a bottle\, sometimes with nails and pins to counteract a negative spell? \nLearn how ‘potions\,” divination\, and cleansing/protection practices have evolved through the ages and how they are still being used today. Discover how plants such as those found in the Webb Deane Stevens Colonial Revival Garden could be made into healing elixirs\, how the role of folk magic\, divination through celestial and earthly events\, dream interpretation\, and indigenous influences shaped Colonial New England\, and the importance of balancing\, cleansing and protecting your energy and light essence. \nThis program is presented by Mystic Reiki Healing\, Moonlit Path Healing\, and The Replanted Witch in collaboration with The Blackbird House. \nReception: 6 pm / Program: 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Tickets available HERE. \nPotions: Rachel Star Koladis\, The Replanted Witch \nAs early as the 15th century\, the word “potion” was understood to be a magical consumable liquid. They might be concoctions used to heal\, bewitch\, or poison people\, made by a witch or other magical practitioner. Popular examples included preparations for attracting love or inducing a deep sleep. Witches and potions have become intertwined within the popular imagination\, but why did the two become associated? There are hints in historical images of women wearing pointy hats\, over a bubbling cauldron dating back to Medieval times\, and in Greek mythology we find the story of Circe teaching herself how to use powerful herbs prepared as drinks or stews. Women have enjoyed a long association with potion making through the ages\, as healers\, alewives\, and witches. Learn more about this fascinating history\, as well as some of the plants found in the Webb Deane Stevens gardens that could have been used now and then for traditional healing and potions. \nThe Role of Folk Magic and Divination in Colonial New England: Erin Touponse\, Mystic Reiki Healing  \nIn Colonial New England\, nothing was certain; at any given time\, death could strike\, the earth could tremble\, and crops could fail. Early settlers depended on ancient folk magic\, astrology\, divination\, and dreams/visions to assist in bringing order and sense to a time when personal and collective security was not prevalent. Learn how the role of folk magic\, divination through celestial and earthly events\, dream interpretation\, and indigenous influences shaped Colonial New England. \nCleansing & Protection Practices: Victoria Selden Moonlit Path Healing \nNo matter the walk of life you come from\, magick can be found in even the smallest mundane aspects of life. Throughout the ages\, we have found a variety of ways to relish the magick in our lives\, but not without polarity. Light and dark\, positive and negative\, yin and yang. Learn the importance of balancing\, cleansing and protecting your energy and light essence. \nTHE PRESENTERS \nAbout Rachel Star Koladis \nWitchcraft and magic have been dominant forces from an early age and Rachel’s free time was spent practicing spells with her best friends. A natural offshoot of this interest is her passion for history\, which was fostered as a homeschooler and attending every available program at the Webb Deane Stevens Museum – including colonial summer camp. During her college years\, Rachel haunted the campus shrouded in her handmade woolen cape and took the only class she could find in witchcraft at The University of Hartford. At Trinity College\, she worked to research and prepare a working bibliography on witchcraft-related holdings at the Watkinson Library on campus. After getting her certification as a vegan chef at The Natural Gourmet and studying herbalism with Rosemary Gladstar\, her path became clearer. She started offering Witchcraft 101 workshops and hosting a book group called Witchy Reads at The Blackbird House in Wethersfield. In the future\, she plans to offer a moveable supper club in celebration of The Wheel of the Year. In her free time\, you can find Rachel foraging\, researching plants and remedies\, visiting historic sites\, whipping up kitchen magic\, and practicing her needlework. \nAbout Erin Touponse \nErin Touponse owns The Blackbird House in Old Wethersfield.  She is a Reiki Master/Teacher\, Pranic healer\, Certified End of Life Specialist\, Tarot Scholar\, Student of Shamanic Studies\, author\, and poet. Her book\, Soul’s Journey – A Practical Guide to Reading the Tarot\, was published in early 2023. Erin teaches Usui Reiki\, Tarot\, and Intuitive Development classes\, and offers guided meditation and sound healing group classes with her husband\, Marcel Touponse. \nAbout Victoria Selden \nVictoria Selden is a Reiki Master\, Oracle Reader\, and Intuitive Guide with Moonlit Path Healing. She leads workshops on Spiritual Cleansing & Protection and Moon Magick at The Blackbird House. Victoria is a long-standing student of esoteric and magickal works and loves learning and teaching to help others on their healing path.
URL:https://wdsmuseum.org/event/potions-divination-and-protection-practices-through-the-ages/
LOCATION:WDS Museum\, 211 Main Street\, Wethersfield\, CT\, 06109
CATEGORIES:Learning Series
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ORGANIZER;CN="WDS Museum":MAILTO:info@wdsmuseum.org
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