Tour of the Property

	Tour of the Property: History of Salem

Overview | Early Salem | The Great Age of Sail | The 19th and 20th Centuries

Early Salem

Its Orgins

During the winter of 1623-1624, a fishing settlement was established on Cape Ann by England's Dorchester Company. After three years of struggle on rocky, stormy Cape Ann, a group of the settlers, led by Roger Conant, set out to establish a more permanent settlement. They found sheltered, fertile land at the mouth of the Naumkeag River.

The new settlement, called Naumkeag, or comfort haven by the Native Americans, thrived on farming and fishing. In 1629 the settlement was renamed Salem for Shalom, the Hebrew word for peace.

The Legendary Witch Trials of 1692

In January of 1692, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris of Salem Village became ill. William Griggs, the village doctor, was called in when they failed to improve. His diagnosis of bewitchment put into motion the forces that would ultimately result in the hanging deaths of nineteen men and women. In addition, one man was crushed to death; several others died in prison, and the lives of many were irrevocably changed.

To understand the events of the Salem witch trials, it is necessary to examine the times in which accusations of witchcraft occurred. There were the ordinary stresses of 17th-century life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A strong belief in the devil, factions among Salem Village families and rivalry with nearby Salem Town combined with a recent small pox epidemic and the threat of attack by warring tribes created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. Soon, prisons were filled with more than 150 men and women from towns surrounding Salem; their names had been "cried out" by tormented young girls as the cause of their pain. All would await trial for a crime punishable by death in 17th-century New England - the practice of witchcraft.

In June of 1692, the special Court of Oyer (to hear) and Terminer (to decide) sat in Salem to hear the cases of witchcraft. Presided over by Chief Justice William Stoughton, the court was made up of magistrates and jurors. The first to be tried was Bridget Bishop of Salem who was found guilty and was hanged on June 10. Thirteen women and five men from all stations of life followed her to the gallows on three successive hanging days before the court was disbanded by Governor William Phipps in October of that year. The Superior Court of Judicature, formed to replace the "witchcraft" court, did not allow spectral evidence. This belief in the power of the accused to use their invisible shapes or spectres to torture their victims had sealed the fates of those tried by the Court of Oyer and Terminer. The new court released those awaiting trial and pardoned those awaiting execution. In effect, the Salem witch trials were over.

As years passed, apologies were offered and restitution was made to the victims' families. Historians and sociologists have examined this most complex episode in our history so that we may understand the issues of that era and view subsequent events with heightened awareness. The parallels between the Salem witch trials and more modem examples of "witch hunting" like the McCarthy hearings of the 1950's, are remarkable. (Courtesy of Alison D'Amario, Director of Education, Salem Witch Museum)

Today, visitors to Salem have the opportunity to reflect upon the tragedies of the Witch Trials of 1692 at the Witch Trial Memorial. The award-winning memorial was dedicated in 1992 by Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel to commemorate the tercentenary of the Salem Witch Trials. Standing as a reminder of the lessons of tolerance and understanding learned from the Salem Witch Trials, the memorial creates a quiet, contemplative environment in which to evoke the spirit and strength of those people who chose to die rather than compromise their personal truths. The memorial is located behind the Old Burying Point on Liberty Street between Charter and Derby Streets.

The stories of the Salem Witch Trials of 1629 are told at the Salem Witch Museum, Salem Wax Museum of Witches & Seafarers, Witch Dungeon Museum, Witch History Museum and the Witch House. The original witchcraft papers from the trials are displayed at the Peabody Essex Museum.

Destination Salem , 63 Wharf Street , Salem , MA 01970
© Copyright 2003 Salem Office of Tourism & Cultural Affairs, Inc.

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