Onondaga Central
Salem, Massachusetts is a historic town where the Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692. The Salem Witch Trials, also known as the Witch Hysteria of 1692, was a devastating event in which paranoia spread like wildfire and led to 200 people being accused of witchcraft, 20 of which were executed. Over 300 years after the trials, their story is told to remind people of the injustices that occurred that year and to hopefully prevent history from repeating itself.
Contrary to popular belief, none of the witches in Salem were burned at the stake. That was a practice that came from the European witch craze that occurred between the 1300s and 1600s. In Salem, nineteen people were hung and one was pressed to death. The man who was pressed to death was Giles Corey. He refused to state whether he was guilty or innocent and didn’t think that the court had the right to try him. He had previously accused his wife, Martha Corey, who was then convicted and hung. Due to his refusal to cooperate with the court, they resorted to using a medieval torture technique, in which they placed a board across a person’s body and piled heavy stones upon them until they either died or confessed. Whenever they tried to question Giles, he would tell them “More weight.” Before his death, Giles cursed the Sheriff and the town. To this day, people believe that his curse is real and the reason for the Great Salem Fire in 1914. It burned half the city, leaving 18,000 people without homes or jobs. There have been claims that people have seen his ghost before tragic events, such as the fire and when a sheriff suffered a rare blood disease, heart attack, and stroke in one year. The previous two sheriffs died of blood and heart-related diseases as well. George Corwin, the sheriff during the trials, was the one who tortured Giles Corey. He died of a heart attack in 1696. Today, Salem is home to many little shops, restaurants, and an estimated 1,600 witches. While there were most likely no real witches during the time of the trials, the city is now a place where modern witches can freely express themselves and people can go to dress up in costumes and explore the town. Fall is their busiest time of year, especially since many tourists go to see the areas where scenes were filmed in the movie Hocus Pocus. These filming locations include the Salem Commons, Ropes Mansion, Old Town Hall, Pioneer Village, and Old Burial Hill Cemetery. There are numerous museums and historic spots worth visiting during a trip. The Salem Witch Museum is cheesy, but it provides a detailed summary of the events that occurred during the Salem Witch Trials. The Witch House is the last building that was directly related to the trials. It was the home of Jonathon Corwin, one of the judges who convicted the accused witches. Although he played a major role in the trials, the house itself doesn’t have much about the trials and is more to showcase the way they lived. The Rebecca Nurse Homestead is another historic house that can be toured. Rebecca Nurse is one of the victims of the trials who was sentenced to hang. It is not in the town of Salem, but it is a close drive. It is located in what used to be Salem Village where the farmers mostly lived. Similar to the Witch House, the Nurse Homestead has less to do with the trials and more about the way of life. It is worth visiting both though, because Jonathon Corwin was significantly wealthier and they had very different lifestyles. Visiting the Rebecca Nurse Homestead also allows you to see their family cemetery which has a monument to Rebecca Nurse as well as an exact reconstruction of the meetinghouse where the trials were held. There is a Salem Witch Trials Memorial where the names of all the victims are carved into stone and people leave offerings of flowers or coins. If museums aren’t one of your interests, just walking around the town showcases the gorgeous and historic elements of the city. For people who like scary movies, Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery has a massive collection of realistic statues depicting characters from scary movies. They also add new figures every year so there’s always a reason to go back. Salem offers walking tours that take you to see different sites while learning deeper information about the town that you would probably never know otherwise. There are also tours on their Trolley. Overall, Salem, Massachusetts is a fantastic place to go for an October trip, or any time the year. There is so much to do and learn from the town and it’s incredible to see how 300 years later, the innocent victims of the Salem Witch Trials are remembered and their stories live on.
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