31 Days of Halloween | Day 27: The Witch of Pungo — Virginia's Last Witch Trial

On July 10, 1706, a woman named Grace Sherwood was bound and thrown into the Lynnhaven River in colonial Virginia.

Her neighbors had accused her of witchcraft.

According to the beliefs of the time, an innocent woman would sink beneath the water. A witch would float, rejected by the same water used in Christian baptism.

Grace Sherwood floated.

And with that, she became the central figure in one of the strangest witchcraft cases in American colonial history.

Tonight, we're investigating the true story of Grace Sherwood, better known as the Witch of Pungo.

From accusations that she transformed into a black cat and tormented her neighbors to the invasive examinations ordered by colonial authorities, we'll follow the surviving court records through her extraordinary trial by water.

We'll also explore the legends that developed around her, including a voyage across the Atlantic in an eggshell, a mysterious disappearance after her death, and the ghostly light said to appear over the waters where she was thrown.

But behind those stories was a real woman who spent years defending herself against accusations that threatened her freedom, her livelihood, and her life.

More than three centuries later, Virginia finally acknowledged the injustice.

And according to local legend, Grace Sherwood still returns to the river.

Welcome to Day 27 of 31 Days of Halloween