Being a Saucon Source member comes with perks, one of which is access to exclusive events. One such event–which is also open to the public–will be held this weekend.
Local author and historian Dr. Ned Heindel will speak about one of the Lehigh Valley’s most celebrated haunted places as part of a talk, “Witches, Warlocks, and Wild Times: A History of the Haunted Hexenkopf Rock,” presented by Saucon Source and the Lower Saucon Township Historical Society on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m. at Lower Saucon Town Hall, 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bethlehem. Register here for free tickets or confirm you’re coming via the Facebook event.
Located in Williams Township, Hexenkopf Rock has been the subject of folkore for centuries. The name Hexenkopf is German for “witch’s head,” and as Dr. Heindel will explain, the rocky outcropping’s history makes this name a fitting one.
The rock was sacred to Native Americans who once inhabited the area, but it was only after German settlers began to populate Northampton County that the rock became associated with two different kinds of witchcraft, the history of which Dr. Heindel chronicles in his book–now available in a third edition—Hexenkopf: History, Healing and Hexerei.
Dr. Heindel’s interest in the Pennsylvania folk medicinal practice known as pow-wowing or braucherei–which is closely associated with Hexenkopf–dates back to his childhood in York County. While pow-wowing was used as a force for good, some witches practiced a Pennsylvania German version of black magic known as hexerei, which he’ll also discuss.
Dr. Heindel and his family have called Hexenkopf hill home for more than 50 years, and recently donated the land on which the rock is located to Northampton County, which will preserve it as open space. In addition to his scholarly work related to Hexenkopf he is Emeritus Howard S. Bunn Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Lehigh University.
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