Fairfield Woman Hanged For Witchcraft To Be Honored With Memorial

Via The Black Rock Community Council: BLACK ROCK, CT — At 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, The Black Rock Community Council will honor Goodwife Knapp, a woman executed for witchcraft in 1653, with a ceremony of remembrance. The ceremony will take place at the Burroughs Community Center, 2470 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, and will feature the official unveiling of the Goody Knapp Memorial.

Goodwife Knapp was a Fairfield resident who was accused of witchcraft, tried by the elders of the colony, and ultimately hanged in a field that is now part of Bridgeport. The Burroughs Community Center stands at the approximate site of the hanging.

The reasons for the accusations against Goody Knapp are unknown, but she was tried and executed at a time when such trials were not uncommon in both Europe and New England. What is known is that, despite tremendous pressure, she refused to name other "witches."

Her refusal to implicate others almost certainly prevented further trials and executions in the town of Fairfield. Among Knapp’s judges were two leading citizens, Roger Ludlow, one of Fairfield’s founders and a deputy governor of the colony, and the Rev. John Davenport, a founder of New Haven.

"It is very exciting to finally recognize Goody Knapp, one of the earliest persons hanged in colonial North America for witchcraft. Her memorial is long overdue and will serve as a reminder of this dark period of our history for many years to come," said Phil Blagys, co-chair of BR 375 and chair of the Goody Knapp Dedication.

The ceremony will be part of the ongoing Black Rock 375 anniversary year celebration. For more information on BR 375 visit www.blackrock375.org.