Overview

Although Illinois saw no dramatic witch trials, witchcraft has been a part of Illinois history and culture from French exploration to the present day. On the Illinois frontier, pioneers pressed silver dimes into musket balls to ward off witches, while farmers dutifully erected fence posts according to phases of the moon. In 1904, the quiet town of Quincy was shocked to learn of Bessie Bement's suicide, after the young woman sought help from a witch doctor to break a hex. In turn-of-the-century Chicago, Lauron William de Laurence's occult publishing house churned out manuals for performing bizarre rituals intended to attract love and exact revenge. For the first time in print, Michael Kleen presents the full story of the Prairie State's dalliance with the dark arts.

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9781625858764

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Michael Kleen has a MA in history from Eastern Illinois University and a MS in education from Western Illinois University. He is the author of Ghostlore of Illinois Colleges & Universities, Haunting Illinois: A Tourist's Guide to the Weird & Wild Places of the Prairie State, Paranormal Illinois and Tales of Coles County and editor of the anthology Secret Rockford. His nonfiction articles have appeared in publications like Historic Illinois and the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, and his short stories have appeared in anthologies like Hunting Ghosts: Thrilling Tales of the Paranormal and Mythos: Myths & Tales of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. Michael has spoken about local history and folklore at conventions, libraries, cafes, museums, schools and colleges, and he has presented research papers at the 2007, 2010, and 2011 Conference on Illinois History in Springfield. To keep up to date on his latest travels, stories and research projects, please visit www.michaelkleen.com

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