What led to the inhumanity that engulfed a small town in colonial Massachusetts? The Lacey branch of the Ocean County Library hosts archivist and historian Mickey DiCamillo’s presentation “When There Were Witches: An Exploration of the Salem Witch Trials” on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.

In January 1692, five young girls were seized with a strange illness, causing Salem villagers to believe they were “under an evil hand.”