Witchiepoo
Abracadabra, hocus-pocus, ala-kaZAM! Focus your energy, use your mind power ……and create the coolest museum in Cleveland, Ohio……aaaand……
….SHAZAM! The spell has been cast.
The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft is a must-visit if you even have just a little bit of interest or curiosity in witchcraft, Wicca, or even just paganism. Raymond Buckland was a high priest, and once upon a time in a spiral-bound notebook he authored the first version of “The Complete Book of Witchcraft”. According to Haunt Jaunts, Buckland Museum is “the first museum of its kind in the United States with an anthropological approach to the world of folklore and the supernatural.”
It all began for Ray at a young age when he got a Ouija board, developed an interest in spiritualism, and presto! Ray studied under Gerald Garner, who was instrumental in bringing the Contemporary Wiccan religion to public attention, writing some of its definitive religious texts.
Steven, the museum Curator is extremely interesting and knowledgeable. His collection is eclectic, interesting, organized, and well-displayed. He makes great use of a small space, and I really appreciated the organization and set up, as well as the variety of items on display.
There is a demon housed in a box in the corner. I forgot to ask his name at the end of my visit. Due to an unfortunate incident, after a child got the demon all riled up yelling his name, the demon got some revenge on the child. Said child vomited all over the museum. Since then, Steven doesn’t tell anyone the demon’s name until after their visit is over. Wise decision.
Reasonable admission fee. Guided tour. And then some time to wander and take photos. I left with a tshirt and also a sticker for my collection of cool places I’ve visited.
Steven told me that people have recommended to him that “you should take this collection to Salem.” He disagreed with that advice, and so do I. The space here is perfect for it, and in Salem, I’m afraid it would get swallowed up by all the other Witch-related attractions. Northeast Ohio is the perfect spot. We also had a nice conversation about other similarly cool collections. There is apparently one in Iceland, a few hours outside of Reykjavik. I have been traveling to Iceland for work, and if it is all possible, I am going to try to make an effort to go. Ohhhh, this peeks my interest so much!
Also, I have been to the Salem Witch Museum. I’ve actually been there twice. Once when I was a small child in 1983 or so and once as an adult, several years ago. I remember being absolutely terrified as a child. But also very fascinated.
The focus of this museum is much different from Buckland’s, though. This particular museum focuses on the historical persecution and hangings of alleged witches in 1692 in Salem. Among the first accused of witchcraft where two young girls. In January 1692, a doctor was called to the home of Reverend Samuel Parris, the Puritan minister of Salem Village after his nine-year-old daughter, Betty, and her 11-year-old cousin, Abigail Williams, began exhibiting strange symptoms, such as convulsing, barking and speaking unintelligible words. They subsequently, also blamed their slave, Tituba for their behavior. Why was there a witchcraft crisis in Salem? Historians have come up with numerous possible explanations for the Salem accusers’ actions, including economic hardship, deliberate fraud, mass hysteria, or mental illness. No one really knows for sure, but I’m certain it was way more complex than any of the possible explanations might suggest. About 200 people were tried, and 19 were hanged, while one of the accused, Giles Corey was pressed to death. Bridget Bishop was the first to be executed. She was the ”town outcast”. She marched to the beat of her own drum, dressed eccentrically, and went against the grain. The town had it out for her. She wore colorful clothing, when brown was the standard color of the time that most women wore. It’s no surprise that this poor woman was hanged, based on the puritan beliefs of the town. Their convictions were so strong that they wanted to get rid of anyone who didn’t conform. Enter the witch trials. Judge Jonathan Corwin ruled.
I always thought a good motto for the museum, or maybe just the town itself should be should be ”1692, Corwin hanged the witches blue!” (If anyone from Salem sees this idea and uses it, don’t forget to credit me.)
Where are the ghosts, you ask? Well, Giles Corey, who along with his wife, Martha were both accused of witchcraft in Salem. Giles allegedly appears and walks his graveyard each time a disaster is about to strike the city. Notably, he was said to have appeared the night before the Great Salem Fire of 1914. Bridget Bishop has been known to speak to modern-day psychics, and she tells them she is in pain. She allegedly haunts a restaurant called Turner’s Seafood. I have not yet taken a ghost tour in Salem, but after having visited the city, it is understandable why ANY of the accused witches would come back to haunt the city. The Salem economy is capitalizing on their trials and tribulations. They make so much money from tourism and the interest in their stories. There are THIRTY NINE museums in the small town of Salem, in addition to an array of touristy shops selling witch kitsch. And what did the persecuted witches ever get out of that in their lives or their afterlives?
Interesting stuff. Wanna know more? Have your demons call my demons.
