In this episode of Historians & Their Histories, Alaina Scapicchio discusses her research into the public memory of the American witchcraft trials, focusing specifically on monuments, memorials, and other forms of commemoration. She shares how an unexpected archival discovery about a "ducking stool" connected to George Washington's grandfather expanded her research beyond Salem to the broader colonial landscape. We also learn about her deep dive into the 1885 Rebecca Nurse monument, her use of collections at the MHS, and her thoughts on why the physical connection to historical documents and artifacts is so powerful.

Alaina Scapicchio is the recipient of an Andrew W. Mellon Short-Term Fellowship from the MHS.

To learn more about MHS fellowships and how to apply, please visit this page.

Learn more about this episode here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/hath-episode-22-Scapicchio

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Colocate by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)