The Witch of Pine Hollow

...Or Was She?

Abigail's Tale

The Legend of the Witch of Pine Hollow

Every child in Pine Hollow grows up fearing the tale of wicked Abigail Marsh—the witch who haunted dreams and stole lives. The stories paint her as a cackling old crone with clawed fingers and hollow red eyes. They say she lurked in the shadows of the old woods whispering curses into the wind, and that her specter still haunts Pine Hollow.

But what if I told you Abigail wasn't an old woman at all? She was actually just a thirteen year old girl.

Who Was Abigail Marsh?

Unfortunately, the official records are sparse. But we do know that a girl named Abigail Marsh, born in 1683, lived in Pine Hollow. She was the daughter of the town nurse and was tried and convicted of witchcraft in 1696.

Her trial coincided with a bout of hysteria that was sweeping through the town at the time. The few records that remain speak of night terrors that afflicted every man, woman, and child. On August 27, 1696, Abigail Marsh was hanged from an oak tree outside of town.

A Witch or a Martyr?

But this is where the trail of fact ends, and the winding path of speculation begins.

Some say the nightmares stopped after her death. Others claim they only got worse and that the townspeople devised a ritual to keep her spirit at bay. These rituals allegedly morphed into our very own Moon Hollow Festival.

I've spent years digging into Abigail's story, and I suspect there's a kernel of truth to these tales. Was she really an evil witch? Or was she merely gifted with those spiritual powers we now associate with the Wiccans? We may never know. History has a funny way of twisting the truth.