Salem's 17th century witch trials put Massachusetts forever at the top of the list of places that will be able to capitalize on Halloween. There, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft and 30 people were found guilty, 19 of whom were executed by hanging.
But that witch fear and those accusations happened all over New England. NEPM's content director and Emmy Award winning producer and filmmaker Tony Dunne is very familiar with the folklore of what's known about Vermont's only accused witch. Dunne produces the "New England Legends" television series.
Carrie Healy, NEPM: So, in the most recent episode, you're telling the story of an extraordinary woman who lived in Vermont. She was actually born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and moved across the state line when she got married.
"When we started, all that was known about the widow Krieger in Pownal, was that we happen to have rocks that [were] called 'Krieger Rocks,'" Joyce Held of the Pownal Historical Society told "New England Legends."
So, those Krieger rocks made Held wonder why those are called "Krieger Rocks." Tony, tell me the story of what Joyce discovered.
Tony Dunne, producer: So, Joyce, like many of us — I had actually heard this story, being intimately involved with legends and folklore throughout New England — she was aware that there was a legend in town about the widow Krieger, who was tried for witchcraft sometime in the dim history and past of Pownal.
And the legend basically went that, this woman, only known as the widow Krieger, was tried as a witch, was found guilty and dumped in the river as a test to see if she would ... float. And if she floated, she was being supported by nefarious evil. And if she didn't and sank, she was innocent.
"They decided that they would do the water test," Held said in the show. "So the neighbors all gathered around and they cut a hole in the ice, and they dropped Widow Krieger down, and she sank right down to the bottom, immediately."
"Luckily, they were able to retrieve her back out. And so, she was found innocent," Jamie Franklin of the Bennington Museum told "New England Legends."
"Because if she were a witch, the powers of Inferno would have held her up," Held continued. "So, that's the story of Widow Krieger and the witch trial."
At the center of the story is Margarete Schumacher. And she got married to a guy named Krieger, a successful mill owner and operator. But in 1785, her husband died, and she became Widow Krieger. In the 18th century, there were actually problems with being a single woman, a widow, in Pownal.
"There was this mill and there was this lady and there was this land. And I think greed set in. I think people wanted the land and people wanted the mill. What better way than accuse somebody of being a witch, just to get rid of them?" Held said on the show.
Tony Dunne: So there was this mysterious legend. That's all that was known. And Joyce found out the name behind this legend, which for hundreds of years nobody has known. And, she did all the research and even found out where [Krieger] was buried.
I tried to tell this story years ago. But I couldn't, because as a visual producer, a filmmaker, you need more than just a 30-second story. You need visuals. You need to know where these people lived, where they died, all of these sort of things. But there was nothing there. There wasn't even a tombstone.
And thanks to Joyce's really hard work and dedication, she dug into the history behind the legend and found out who this person was and her tragic story, that, you know, in many ways, this could be construed as trying to strip a property owner, through nefarious accusations.
Well, so to recap from an initial curiosity, Joyce, the woman who did the research about widow Krieger, effectively brought this to light for a new generation.
"You know, folklore is telling the stories, passing it down from generation to generation and so that each generation can learn," Held said on the show.
OK, so that's Joyce's motivation for doing this work. But what resonates with you here, Tony?
Tony Dunne: The wonderful thing about legends and folklore, and I get asked this a lot — do I believe in a lot of these stories? I tend to fall on the more skeptical side of things. But what I love is the history behind it and what it says about us, that, certain stories survive.
And this is a story about these rocks — Krieger Rocks or Witches Rocks, as Jamie Franklin of the Bennington Museum, who's also in the piece, notes. That's what they call them around town, and that name has stuck for years for a reason.
And then you get the spooky tale, the folklore behind it. And that's what a lot of people latch on to. But, then, if you do what Joyce Held does and dig deeper, you find the real story, which in many ways can be more powerful than the fanciful mythology that develops around it.
So, how has the town ensured that this piece of folklore will live on?
Well, thanks to the work of Joyce, and again, Jamie Franklin of the Bennington Museum, and an organization called the Pomeroy Foundation in Vermont — puts up markers to note legends and lore throughout the region. Through their work, a marker was installed just below the Krieger Rocks on the banks of the Hoosic River, where the alleged witch trial took place, where the dunking of Margarete Schumacher Krieger happened, noting, that this is the spot and that she lived.
And it's a reminder [to] folks that their past is all around them. And walking by the river, most people wouldn't know. And now, thanks to this wonderful marker, they will.
So, this is just one of many episodes of the "Legends" series that you've produced. There must have been a ton of other tales. What makes this one different?
Oh, this one, it's personal for Joyce Held. And she comes across — I think and I hope the viewer does when you watch this show — she comes across as very passionate and feeling very empathetic for what happened to Margarete Krieger. She cared so much that she went to great efforts to bring the story behind the legend to life for other people.
And so, for me, that's what drives me, and that's what makes this story so special, is it's about passion. It's about people wanting to know about the communities they live in and wanting to tell forgotten people's stories.
