VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — You've seen the name... Witchduck. But do you know the darker meaning behind it?
Grace Sherwood was a farmer who was blamed for bad weather and failing crops. As such, the community labelled her a witch.
In 1706, she was put on trial. With her thumbs tied to her toes, she was ducked into the Lynnhaven River.
This was a form of punishment with one goal of public humiliation.
The other goal? Survive and be proven a witch, or drown and be declared innocent.
Sherwood was able to free herself and swim to the surface. She spent the next eight years in jail.
In 2006, nearly 300 years after her trial, Grace Sherwood was exonerated by then Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.
A bronze statue of Grace Sherwood, 'The Witch of Pungo', now stands at the corner of Independence Boulevard and North Witchduck Road.