New book dives into the life and times of Virginia Beach’s most notorious and misunderstood resident
From her infamous “ducking” in the Lynnhaven River (giving us the name “Witchduck Road”) to her trial and ultimate conviction for witchcraft in the early 18th century, Grace Sherwood—better known as the Witch of Pungo—is perhaps Virginia Beach’s most notorious resident. She is also one of the least understood.
A new book by history professor Scott O. Moore aims to give us the most in-depth historical account yet of a woman whose legend has made her a feminist icon as much as a historical figure and cautionary tale.
But who was the real Grace Sherwood? Moore does a deep dive into the historical context of the time including the sociopolitical circumstances and community dynamics that would have influenced Sherwood and those who maligned her as a witch.
In The Witch of Pungo: Grace Sherwood in Virginia (UVA Press), Moore also takes aim at some of the more fantastical elements of the Witch of Pungo mythology and how they may have been reinforced in ways that persist to this day.
Learn more at upress.virginia.edu, look for it a Read Books in Virginia Beach or through Barnes & Noble or Amazon.
