Virginia Press, July, 2006       PUNGO, Virginia - The Witch of Pungo - who cursed Tidewater Virginia farms in the 17th and 18th centuries has been cleared of the accusation that she was a witch.     On July 17, 2006, exactly 300 years after Grace Sherwood was convicted at a trial that saw her thrown into the Lynnhaven River River with her thumbs tied to her feet, Gov. Timothy Kaine pardoned her. The theory was that if she was innocent she would sink; if she was a witch, the waters would reject her evil spirit and she would float.     Sherwood floated.     She served more than seven years in jail, was released and lived until she was eighty. She is the only person convicted in Virginia by a "witch ducking trial."     The news from Richmond was greeted in Virginia Beach - which today includes the rural section of Pungo - with a great amount of reverie because the legend of Sherwood is so deeply ingrained in the city's folklore, serving as a somber reminder of its past.     In the Virginia Beach area, the tale of the "Witch of Pungo" is told to schoolchildren. The annual Pungo Strawberry Festival features a parade led by an honorary Pungo mayor and his wife, who plays the role of the Pungo Witch. There's even a popular children's book written by a Nolfolk woman titled "The Witch of Pungo."     And every year, a re-enactment of Sherwood's trial takes place near the spot where she was thrown in the water - now Witchduck Point - with residents on boats playing the roles of sheriff, witch and town residents. July 10 is now Grace Sherwood Day in Pungo.     In Virginia Beach we have recognized this anniversary of the trial for the past twenty years, initially by simply tolling the bell of Old Donation Episcopal. The 2006 re-enactment was the sixth in which Virginia locals don wigs and period clothing, including the group chanting, " Duck the witch!" as an actress climbs into a boat. The woman playing the part of the witch calls out, "I be not a witch, I be a healer!"     Grace Sherwood's problems with her neighbors started as such spats typically do. In the 1680s, Sherwood inherited nearly 200 acres from her father and her neighbors were envious not only of her acquisition, but that she was able to harvest crops so successfully and they were not.     Neighbors took her to court, accusing her of blighting their cotton and killing a bull. One woman claimed that Sherwood transformed into a cat and slipped in through the keyhole of her home "with fangs and claws and leapt on her back."     This we know from church vestry records and the historical society at Virginia Beach.     Sherwood beat back most of the accusations - she was hauled to court at least 12 times - but what finally did her in was when she was stripped and searched. Two moles were found on her upper body. This was evidence that she was in league with the devil. The accused witch agreed to be tried by water.