“Queens of Ghost‐Land” 134 Years Later: Un‐Masking an Appalachian Witchcraft Accuser

ABSTRACT In 1891, newspapers across America printed a story about witches in the Appalachian Mountains and the alleged powers they possessed to control their small farming community. The article was scathing in accusation and ultimately contributed to continued othering of the women profiled, increasing their visible vulnerabilities of class, gender, and societal status. Despite an implied familiarity with the region, the article was published with initials for its byline, an act that simultaneously identified the author to locals as historian Eva Grant while offering her anonymized national protection as a subject expert. For over five years the accusations were re‐printed in newspapers across the country and the article ultimately became one of the most enduring accounts of witchcraft in the Appalachian Mountains. This article builds upon over a year of archival research, genealogy, and digital authorship analysis to both un‐mask Grant as the author and analyze her decision to publish the witchcraft accusation. Through an in‐depth examination of the author's career, status, and writing style, this analysis offers contextualization 134 years after her lore‐based article vexed a small Virginia community and led to decades of stereotype and speculation about ordinary women in the region and in popular culture.