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Salem Village Parsonage Archeological Site
Photograph by Richard B. Trask. Courtesy of Danvers Archival Center.
Nurse Homestead
Photograph by Richard B. Trask. Courtesy of Danvers Archival Center.
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The Salem Village Historic District in Danvers contains several buildings
and sites associated with the now-infamous Salem Witchcraft Trials of
1692-1693. Here, several young girls accused hundreds of older women of
“bewitching” them. In 17th-century Massachusetts, social values
and traditions largely confined colonial women to domestic arenas. “Proper”
women rarely ventured onto the public stage; their active participation
in public affairs, in fact, often indicated unusual events or stresses
in the society-at-large. Although no one knows for certain why the Salem
Witch hysteria began, some historians point to economic factors, while
others insist on religious and psychological pressures. Regardless, in
1692, Elizabeth Parris, the daughter of Salem minister Samuel Parris,
and her cousin, Abigail Williams, began to fall into “fits.”
A local doctor determined that the girls were victims of witchcraft, and
before long, other neighborhood girls also began to have “fits.”
The afflicted girls accused three village women of witchcraft--Sarah Osburn,
Sarah Good and Rev. Parris’ slave, Tituba. Before a magistrate, Good
and Osburn proclaimed their innocence, but Tituba told a strange tale
of meetings with the devil. She likewise revealed that other witches still
lived in the area. The magistrates placed the three women in jail. Soon,
Abigail, Elizabeth and the other girls began accusing other women of witchcraft;
by the end of May, more than 150 “witches” had been jailed.
As the hysteria spread, accused and imprisoned "witches" afraid
for their lives began to confess to witchcraft. In June, the crisis worsened
when a full court convened and quickly sentenced Bridget Bishop to death.
By September, 18 people had refused to confess and were hanged, including
71-year old Rebecca Nurse. Cooler heads eventually prevailed in early
1693, and the court disallowed the “spectral evidence” of Elizabeth
Parris, Abigail Williams and other accusers. This brought an end to the
witch hysteria. Today, Salem Village is now called Danvers, where several
properties related to the witch trials are open to the public.
The Nurse Homestead is operated as a house museum and is located
at 149 Pine St. in Danvers, MA. The property is open 1-4:30 pm Tues.-Sat.
from June 15 through Labor Day and 1-4:30 pm Sat.-Sun. during Sept.
and Oct. Please call 978-774-8799 for more information. The majority
of the Salem Village Historic District, which includes many other sites
associated with the Witch Trials of 1692, is located along Centre St.
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