Witchcraft in Forgottonia – Episode 6: The Strange Tale of James Spiva

ON THIS EPISODE We conclude our series about the social & cultural history of witchcraft based on the book “Witchcraft in Illinois” by folklorist Michael Kleen (check out Michael’s bio below). Please note, the primary purpose of this series is to apply historical skills to this topic and share some interesting info that we find …

Witchcraft in Forgottonia – Episode 5: The Scotch-Irish in Illinois, 1818-1885

ON THIS EPISODE We continue our series about the social & cultural history of witchcraft based on the book “Witchcraft in Illinois” by folklorist Michael Kleen (check out Michael’s bio below). Please note, this series definitely does not intend to endorse a belief in magic or the occult. Our primary purpose is to simply apply …

Witchcraft in Forgottonia – Episode 4: Interview with author Michael Kleen

ON THIS EPISODE We are excited to share our interview with author and folklorist Michael Kleen. Shout out to Cuba High School students Jayson Stead, Cadie Churchill, and Lilly Markley who did a fantastic job conducting this interview! Students asked Michael about misconceptions people often have about this topic, the difference between folklore and history, …

Witchcraft in Forgottonia – Episode 3: African American Folk Magic in Illinois, 1701-1800

ON THIS EPISODE We continue our series about the social & cultural history of witchcraft based on the book “Witchcraft in Illinois” by folklorist Michael Kleen (check out Michael’s bio below). Please note, this series definitely does not intend to endorse a belief in magic or the occult. Our primary purpose is to simply apply …

Witchcraft in Forgottonia – Episode 2: The Influence of England & Colonial America

ON THIS EPISODE We continue our series about the social & cultural history of witchcraft based on the book "Witchcraft in Illinois" by folklorist Michael Kleen (check out Michael's bio below). Please note, this series definitely does not intend to endorse a belief in magic or the occult. Our primary purpose is to simply apply …

Witchcraft in Forgottonia – Episode 1: How do we know what we know?

ON THIS EPISODE On this edition of the Forgottonia Project, we’re sharing our 1st episode in a series on the social & cultural history of witchcraft in Illinois. Please note, this series definitely does not intend to endorse a belief in magic or the occult. Our primary purpose is to simply apply some historical skills …