Here at the Norwich Historical Society during the colder months, we go through the cold cases of Norwich listserv. This is the third and final part of “The Case of the NorWitch Appearance.” Read Part 1 HERE. Read Part 2 HERE.
In the first part, we introduced the witch appearing in the middle of the night and the string of sign thefts leading up to it. In the second part we looked at the fallout on the listserv after the Welcome to Norwich Sign was stolen for the second time in 2009. And in this final part, we’re taking a look at people’s reactions to the day after the witch appeared.
Since last week’s post, another witch has appeared, crashing into the Welcome to Norwich sign. She’s still hanging out there. The rumor is the Norwich Police Department summoned the witch to help them solve this cold case.
In 2009, after the original Nor-Witch appeared, the townspeople took to the listserv like townsfolk used to grab their torches and pitchforks. But surprisingly, most people were pretty supportive of whoever summoned the NorWitch to fill the void of the welcome sign. Below are a bunch of screenshots from the listserv archive about the witch’s appearance.
So there you have it; this is what the townsfolks of Norwich thought about the witch’s appearance. This is one of those cases where maybe it doesn’t matter who took the sign or who replaced it with the infamous NorWitch — it probably wasn’t even the same person or group of people — but the act of going back through the listserv archives is fulfilling in its own small way. The listserv is a daily, modern history we all share in and can participate in. Happy Halloween!
