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Perhaps our most famous resident, Eunice “Goody” Cole was tried for witchcraft in 1656 and again in 1673. Sentenced for life, she petitioned to take care of her aging husband and was released. In 1671 the town selectmen ordered the inhabitants to take turns supporting Goody Cole one week at a time. In 1671 she was again arraigned on charges of witchcraft but in 1673 she was found not guilty.
In 1938 an organization known as “The Society in Hampton for the Apprehension of Those Falsely Accusing Eunice “Goody” Cole of Having Familiarity with the Devil” was formed. They wanted to make amends to clear the reputation of the only woman in NH ever convicted of witchcraft. On March 8, 1938 at the 300th Town Meeting the citizens passed a resolution restoring Eunice “Goody” Cole to her rightful place as a citizen of Hampton. During a public ceremony certified copies of all her court document were burned and mixed with soil from her last home and reputed resting place. The urn was to have been buried but many years later was given to the Tuck Museum. |
A book about Goody Cole, The Mark of Goody Cole: A tragic and true tale of witchcraft persecution from the history of early America, was written by HHS volunteer Cheryl Lassiter. Read more about it on our website.
An interesting article about Goody Cole can be found on the SeacoastNH website. It is titled The Hex-ploitation of Goody Cole. A pamphlet about Goody Cole entitled Witch of Hampton is available at the Tuck Museum's store |
| Below are snapshots of the Urn and a Memorial stone, dedicated in 1963 by the citizens of Hampton. The urn is in the Tuck Museum building and the memorial stone is on the edge of Meeting House Green, among other monuments of the Tuck Museum Complex. |
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HHS Witch exhibit on WMUR ChronicleIt's that time of the year in New England to tell stories of everything witchy. WMUR Chronicle contacted HHS to tell the story of famous Hampton witch Eunice "Goody" Cole, but we had more to tell with our new shelf exhibit (see below). WMUR's Sean McDonald and his cameraman Jason interviewed HHS President Lori Cotter, volunteer Karen Raynes (who took the photo at left), and artist Norma Torti, who painting Wielding Hysteria (shown in the background). The Chronicle program will first air at 7p.m. on October 28th, and the program's name is Witches Witches Everywhere. You can view it on WMUR (Channel 9), VeryLocal, the WMUR website, or YouTube. To view it on WMUR's website, click here To view it on YouTube, click here Another Chronicle Program about HHS on WCVB We also had Jon Rineman of WCVB Chronicle 5 in Boston come for an interview with Lori Cotter. More encompassing than just witches, they showcased the entire HHS campus. It first aired on Nov. 5, 2025. The program's name is Accused Witchcraft.... You can view it on the WCVB website or YouTube. To view it on WCVB's website, click here To view it on YouTube, click here Shelf Exhibit
We all know Eunice "Goody" Cole as the infamous "Witch of Hampton" who was outspoken, eccentric, accused of witchcraft three times, whipped, imprisoned for years, and stripped of her citizenship.
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Because of the publicity surrounding the efforts to restore her citizenship in 1938, the “Goody” Cole story was told in practically every newspaper in the country. The National Broadcasting Company dramatized the story on radio coast to coast. Eunice “Goody” Cole became famous. Her memorial service August 25, 1938 was broadcast nation wide.
Below are 3 reformatted newpaper articles about this event:
Below is a graphic from a lurid article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, April 3, 1938. (Located in the Tuck Museum building) |
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