Witches of Fredericksburg: From Fear to Fun
In Colonial Virginia, witches were feared outcasts. In Fredericksburg today, at events such as "Witches Night Out" at Tater's Corner this weekend, they're celebrated.
By Hailey Zeller
CORRESPONDENT
Back in the 1600s, being called a witch could get you dunked in a river.
Now, it earns you a cocktail ticket and a photo op under string lights at Tater’s Corner.
Fredericksburg may not have been home to any recorded witch trials, but it was born from the same colonial Virginia soil that once feared witchcraft like wildfire.
Between the 1600s and the early 1700s, more than two dozen Virginians were accused of witchcraft. Most of them were women who were healers, widows, or anyone who didn’t fit into social norms.
The most infamous among them was Grace Sherwood, known as the Witch of Pungo. In 1706, she was accused of witchcraft by her neighbors and was tried by the Princess Anne County government by “dunking.”
Water was seen as pure, so if a witch was dunked into the water, the water would reject her, causing her to float, proving her guilty. Sherwood floated, served jail time, then lived out her days in what’s now Virginia Beach. After three hundred years, Sherwood was pardoned by Governor Tim Kaine. Today, her statue stands in Virginia Beach honoring Sherwood’s legacy and highlighting how far attitudes toward women accused of witchcraft have changed.
That same thread of superstition ran through all of early Virginia, including what would become Fredericksburg. In the 1700s, this city was a small frontier settlement where religion and rumor shaped daily life, and unexplained events were often met with fear and suspicion.
While there are no formal records of a witch trial here, rumors of witchcraft and misfortune likely circulated, fueled by frontier life, isolation, and fear of the unknown. Women would be branded as witches and blamed for anything from sick livestock to bad weather.
These fears are still echoed today. If you take one of Fredericksburg’s haunted carriage rides, you’ll hear the guides talk about the restless spirits in the Rising Sun Tavern, ghostly footsteps near Kenmore, and the “nanny” of Fall Hill. Witches weave their way into those talks as villains, victims, or local legends. What once brought death and misery is now used as entertainment for tourists and residents alike.
Yet, modern witchcraft has become a symbol of independence and power, especially among young women. Whether through the use of crystals, herbalism, tarot, or simply a sense of “witchy energy,” it’s about reclaiming what was once used to condemn powerful women.
So when Tater’s Corner’s “Witches Night Out” events on October 24 and 25, are not just another Halloween party, but a celebration of the transformation of witch culture. The evening promises spooky cocktails, “sinister snacks,” and a “boo-zy craft” station where guests can make wine bottle stoppers. It’s playful, sparkly, and steeped in sisterhood, gathering not in fear, but in fabulousness.
There’s something poetic in that reversal. A few centuries ago, women who brewed herbal tonics or dared to live alone risked being labeled witches. Today, those same traditions—gardening, potion-making, and moonlit gatherings—are acts of joy and creativity. In a way, the witches finally get the last word.
And maybe that’s the magic of Fredericksburg itself—a city that carries its history not as a weight, but as a costume. It slips into the past for a night, lets itself be haunted, and finds beauty in the very things that used to frighten it.
This month, witches won’t be hiding in the shadows, but they’ll be clinking glasses and dancing under string lights. There will be laughter, glitter, and the faint smell of autumn spice in the air. The ghosts of old Virginia may watch from their brick windows, wondering how witchcraft ever became so chic.
Grab your hat, gather your coven, and head downtown for Witches Night Out at Tater’s Corner. Enjoy drinks, snacks, and a wickedly good time. Fredericksburg’s witches are out, and this time, they’re here to party.
Find out more about Witches Night Out here.
References
Encyclopedia Virginia, “Witchcraft in Colonial Virginia”
Virginia History, “Grace Sherwood: Witch of Pungo”
Uncommonwealth, “Good Witch or a Bad Witch?: The Grace Sherwood Trial and Pardon”
Alexandria Ghosts, “The Rising Sun Tavern Museum”
Colonial Ghosts, “The Ghost Nanny of Fall Hill”
Virginia.org, “Haunted Revolution Sites”
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This was very well done. Only thing I might have added was the address for Tater's Corner but that's what Google is for. I truthfully did not intend to read the whole article but it was well worth my time.