The Witch of Crum Creek

In 1684, a Swedish woman who lived on Crum Creek—Swedes settled here before the English—was accused of witchcraft.

A court found her guilty of having the reputation of being a witch. Of course, this said nothing about whether she really was one, but witchcraft wasn’t actually illegal.

There is a story attached, which might not be true, that William Penn was one of the judges. Legend has it, he asked the woman whether she could fly on a broomstick. The woman said she could, and Penn said that he knew of no laws in Pennsylvania prohibiting flying on broomsticks. So he let her go.