Witch School Leaves Rossville For Salem, Mass

By Anna Deem in News on Nov 1, 2009 10:00PM

The past two years that the Witch School has operated in the city of Rossville, about 125 miles south of Chicago near the Indiana border, haven't been without constant protests from nearby Christian groups, going so far as to sprinkle the wheels of their cars with holy water and drive around town to ward off witches. This weekend, the Christian groups demands will finally be met as the Witch School is moving to a more occult-friendly city: Salem, Mass, the site of the notorious witchcraft trials over three centuries ago.

Rev. Adam Taubert, pastor of the First Baptist Church in the nearby city of Hoopeston where the Witch School used to be located, spoke to the Chicago Tribune about the area's disdain for the occult. "I don't know if they were trying to create controversy. Some people try to stir up things to promote themselves because it's free publicity," said Taubert.

The Witch School is mostly an online school, with 40,000 students registered for its introductory course as well as more humorous classes about zombies, vampires, and even Harry Potter. Taubert thinks that the Witch School leaving has more to do with a lack of market for its merchandise rather than conflicts with neighbors.

"The churches can scream and yell, but I thought at the end of the day if you proved yourself a good neighbor, people would get past that," Ed Hubbard, co-founder and CEO of the Witch School said to the Tribune. "I learned that's not true."