In the year 1970, Ann Stewart was dismissed from her job as a teacher at Flowing Wells High School for claiming to be a witch. What started as a bit of fun for her students got out of hand, but is that all that was at play?

Grace Sherwood was a wife, a mother, a midwife, and healer, but was she a witch? This Sturgeon Full Moon, we are celebrating the life of the (possibly) first and last person to be convicted of witchcraft in the state of Virginia.

In the town of Marion, KY, there is a cemetery with a very elaborate grave. Some say that each night, the spirit of a child witch stands atop that grave and asks for a kind soul to let her out. This is the real life story of what happened to 5-year old Mary Evelyn Ford and her mother, Mary Rebecca.

Is the sleepy little town of Farmville, NC cursed by a witch?

Real quick disclaimer: Once There Was a Witch explores the real lives of women who have been called witches. Warts and all. This means that most every witch will have done something that I don't particularly agree with. In the case of Tabitha, she was a member and officer of several clubs that in our times (and probably in her times too) are racist or just generally glorify the conquest of white, cis, heterosexual men. While I am opposed to that, I chose to leave them in because I wanted to provide a whole picture. So far as I know, she was not a member of the KKK, but it was still really awkward to tell you all that she was a member of the "Daughters of the American Confederacy."

Once There Was A Witch is a once monthly podcast exploring the lives of women accused of witchcraft in the United States. Our first full episode will air on June 21st, 2022. Until then, we hope you will enjoy this sneak peek of Episode 1.