Misplaced Pages

Grace Sherwood

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 24.254.221.231 (talk) at 15:33, 11 July 2010. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 15:33, 11 July 2010 by 24.254.221.231 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Grace Sherwood (1660–1740) is a local legend in the old Princess Anne County and Pungo, Virginia. She is known as the Witch of Pungo to historians and locals. She was accused of bewitching a neighbor's crop in 1698. Allegations grew over time until the Princess Anne County government and her accusers decided she would be tested by ducking. On July 10, 1706, Sherwood was dropped into the Western Branch of the Lynnhaven River near what is now known as Witchduck Point. Sherwood floated, a sign of guilt to the accusers. She was imprisoned for seven years, but eventually released. Sherwood lived the rest of her life quietly in Pungo and died in 1740 at the age of 80.

Heritage

One of Virginia Beach's minor north-south thoroughfares on its western side is "Witchduck Road" which traverses Interstate 264 at exit number 16.

The case was little known until Virginia Beach historian and author Louisa Venable Kyle wrote a children's book about her called The Witch of Pungo.

Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine officially pardoned Sherwood on July 10, 2006, the 300th anniversary of her conviction.

References

  1. Traffic Camera for Witchduck Road
  2. History and The Witch of Pungo
  3. Hardy, Michael (July 11, 2006). ""Ding dong, the stigma's gone"". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2006-07-24. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

Further reading

  • Kyle, Louisa Venable (1973). The Witch of Pungo, and Other Historical Stories of the Early Colonies. Virginia Beach, VA: Four O'Clock Farms. ISBN 0-927044-00-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

External links

Stub icon

This Virginia-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: