Last week, we shared the story of the Mattson Witch Trial, the only known witch trial William Penn presided over. Pennsylvania never reached anywhere near the heights of Salem’s infamous witch hunts. Read More
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“What magic words do you utter then?”: How to Catch a Witch!
‘Tis the month of ghost and ghouls and all things otherworldly… so it’s a great time to explore the role of witchcraft in 17th-century society! So how would you react as a Read More
Penn’s Pen: A Government of Freedom
On Sunday we honored William Penn’s early hopes for a land of freedom. Now we want to highlight the personal freedoms he made into law, just before sailing to his Read More
Penn’s Pen: Getting Arrested, Quaker-Style
In November of 1667, William Penn, a freshly converted Quaker, was arrested with18 other Quakers in County Cork, Ireland. Christopher Rye, the Mayor of Cork, was well-known for his persecution Read More
Penn’s Pen: Poetry…From Prison
England’s persecution of the Quakers meant that William Penn spent a good deal of time in prison. He wrote a lot of pamphlets defending his beliefs, but also expressed his Read More