Folk Magic was not an American creation.

It was carried to the new world by immigrants who brought it to these shores with whatever

worldly belongings they could carry across the sea.

But once it arrived here, it became a very American form of witchcraft.

It took root among the people, the common folk, who used it for healing, divination, and

sometimes for mischief.

Folk Magic and Backwood's witchcraft became well known among the people of Appalachia,

while another version of it captured the imaginations of the people of Pennsylvania, around the same

time that witch trials were being held in New England.

It became accepted by both ordinary people and the authorities alike until the early

20th century, when a series of what were called Hex murders changed the way that many people

perceived the practice of powwowing and folk magic in the region.

When the murders occurred, the city folk who read about them in their newspapers were shocked

to discover that folkilers in witches were still active in the modern and civilized world

in the 1920s.

But little did they know, along the backroads and on the farms of rural Pennsylvania, witchcraft

was alive and well.

Welcome to American Hauteens, the podcast dedicated to the history, Hauteens, and the dark side

of American history.

And welcome to our new season, Woods and Fields, Dark and Wicked, which is hosted and

produced by Cody Beck, and written and performed by Troy Taylor, that's me.

We have a long road ahead of us this season, traveling to America's forest, farms and fields,

...