Ben Shattuck is a student at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He has published in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The Rumpus, HTMLGiant, ReadyMade, Once Magazine, and 7x7. He is from Massachusetts and enjoys Civil War reenacting with the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
History is an imperfect science—the truth often weaves within nuance and mystery. For those playing the role of historian, the trick is knowing what you’re looking for.
A small portion of the Massachusetts coastline is home to America’s biggest witch-hunt, a history of savage wife mobs, the occasional 400 percent increase of unlucky pregnancies, and the world’s largest deposits of black crystals.