Historical Society: History of Talisman "Protection From Evil"

Speaker, Wally Wheeler presents "Protection from Evil." Evidence of protective talismans has been found at early 17th-century sites and existing buildings throughout the Hudson Valley. This talk will present some examples of these practices such as symbolic building carvings, foundation deposits, shoes placed in walls, horse skulls in eaves, etc. from c. 1625 to the present. Some of these practices are actively engaged in even today; their relationship to similar European practices will be discussed also.