Before Salem, there was Springfield: New exhibit explores ‘Witch Panic’ in mid-1600s western Mass

Before Salem, there was Springfield: New exhibit explores ‘Witch Panic’ in mid-1600s western Mass

By Emilee Klein Staff Writer Curator of History Liz Kapp at the “Witch Panic! Massachusetts Before Salem” exhibit within the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Springfield. Staff Photo/Daniel Jacobi II Around 50 years before the infamous Salem witch trials, fear of witches first plagued the colonial people of western Massachusetts. In the enterprising settlement of Springfield, founder and fur trader…