Hear the Real, Historical Horrors of the Salem Witch Trials at the Ocean County Library

TOMS RIVER – Join archivist Mickey DiCamillo as he unravels the Salem witch trials and explore the transcripts from the 1692 interrogations of suspected witches during “When There Were Witches” at two Ocean County Library branches this fall.

The program will take place at the following locations and dates:

·Thursday, October 1 @ 7 p.m. – Brick Branch – 301 Chambers Bridge Road, 732-477-4513

·Thursday, October 8 @ 7 p.m. – Jackson Branch – 2 Jackson Drive, 732-928-4400

In January of 1692, a strange illness seized control of five young girls living in Salem Village, a contentious and divided town in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. When medical professionals couldn’t identify the illness, the town believed the girls had come “under an evil hand.” Events soon spiraled out of control with local divisions and a splintered colonial government feeding the frenzy.

Archivist Mickey DiCamillo will unravel the events with archival documents from the period, and program participants will interact with transcripts from the 1692 interrogations of suspected witches. A Q&A session will follow the 60-minute presentation.

Mickey DiCamillo is an archivist, historian, and information specialist. He has worked for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Hagley Library and Museum. He has published in the Journal of Film and History and The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, and in 2004 was Veterans of Foreign Wars New Jersey State Teacher of the Year for Civic Education. He lives in Moorestown where he has served on the board for the township’s historical society.

Registration is required for this free program. To register, visit tinyurl.com/WitchesOCL, or call or stop by the branch of your choice.