Before Salem: The Glebe House Museum Brings Connecticut’s Witchcraft History to Life

When most Americans think of witch trials, Salem, Massachusetts, immediately comes to mind. Its 1692 outbreak of fear and persecution has come to define the history of witchcraft accusations in colonial America.

But long before Salem’s panic, Connecticut had already endured its own grim era of suspicion, imprisonment, exile, and execution. Connecticut’s witchcraft trials came first—and in many ways, their story is just as unsettling.

Unlike Salem’s single, concentrated crisis, Connecticut’s cases unfolded across several communities and over multiple decades. That scattered history, combined with incomplete surviving records, may help explain why the state’s witch trials are less familiar today.

On October 3 at 5:30 p.m., the Glebe House Museum brings a powerful new presentation, “The First: Witchcraft in Connecticut,” to the Old Town Hall in Woodbury. This full-length live debut presentation revisits Connecticut’s first witchcraft trials and confronts a question that still resonates today: What happens when fear decides who belongs, who is believed, and who is condemned? Hosted by “The Witch of Woodbury,” Moll Cramer—a historical figure accused of witchcraft and banished from town—the evening moves beyond the label of “witch” to reveal the real people behind the accusations.

With continued research and support from Newtown Savings Bank, the Glebe House Museum and longtime historian and volunteer Linda Barr-Gale have developed this expanded presentation that places Moll Cramer’s experience in a wider historical context. This premiere also includes the stories of Thomas Allyn, Rebecca Greensmith, and Katherine Harrison—people whose lives reveal the breadth and human cost of Connecticut’s witchcraft prosecutions.

For those familiar with Salem but unfamiliar with Connecticut’s earlier trials, The First: Witchcraft in Connecticut offers a chance to see colonial history differently. Rather than treating the era as a sensationalized footnote, the program centers on the lives affected by injustice: people who survived, people who were cast out, and people whose stories ended in tragedy.

The evening also reminds us that history is not only preserved in major events and famous names. Sometimes, it survives through fragments—court documents, diaries, depositions, church records, and the determination of local historians to ensure that forgotten stories are not lost altogether.

Registration Details

Date: October 3, 2026

Location: Old Town Hall, 5 Mountain Road, Woodbury, CT.

Doors open: 5:00 p.m.

Program begins: 5:30 p.m.

Running time: Approximately two hours, including an intermission

Seating: General Admission

Guests needing additional accommodations are encouraged to contact the Museum at 203-263-2855.

Due to the program’s runtime and content, it is not recommended for children under 14.

Complimentary refreshments will be served during intermission.

Tickets https://www.glebehousemuseum.org/single-post/the-first-witchcraft-in-connecticut

Advance tickets: $25 per person

Tickets at the door: $30 per person

Advance purchase is recommended, as seating is limited. Purchase tickets through the Glebe House Museum website or contact the Museum office at 203-263-2855 or office@glebehousemuseum.org.