Gallows Hill is a small hill in Salem, Massachusetts that was originally believed to be the site of the Salem Witch Trials hangings in 1692. Then, in January of 2016, the Gallows Hill Project confirmed that Proctor's Ledge, not Gallows Hill, is the site of the Salem Witch Trials hangings.…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Giles Corey was a successful farmer from Salem Village who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Born in Northampton, England, in 1621, Corey immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony shortly after marrying his first wife, Margaret. Giles Corey's Early Life: Corey first lived in Salem…| History of Massachusetts Blog
John Proctor was a successful farmer and the first male to be named a witch during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Proctor was born in Assington, England on October 9, 1631. He immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony with his parents, John Proctor, Sr, and Martha Harper Proctor, sometime…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Thomas Putnam was the father of afflicted girl Ann Putnam, Jr, and many historians consider him to be a major influence in the Salem Witch Trials. Putnam himself accused and testified against 43 people, while his daughter testified against 62 people. Many historians believe the Putnam family used the witchcraft…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Alice Parker was a woman from Salem who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Parker was married to a fisherman named John Parker at the time of the Salem Witch Trials. The couple lived in a rented house, owned by Mary English, on English street in Salem…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Sarah Good was one of the first women to be accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Good was the wife of William Good and, at the time of the Salem witch hysteria, was a poor, pregnant beggar who would often wander door to door in Salem…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The Salem Witch Trials took place in Salem in the Province of Massachusetts Bay between 1692 and 1693. Historians believe the accused witches were victims of mob mentality, mass hysteria, and scapegoating. The Salem Witch Trials began in January of 1692, after a group of girls began behaving strangely and…| History of Massachusetts Blog
If you're interested in learning more about the Salem Witch Trials, you may want to read one of the many books published on the topic. Hundreds of books have been written about the Salem Witch Trials since they first took place in 1692. This is despite the fact that in…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The Crucible is a play about the Salem Witch Trials written by Arthur Miller. The play debuted on Broadway in January of 1953 and has since become an American classic. Although the play is based on the Salem Witch Trials, it was intended to be an allegory for the Red…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Elizabeth Proctor, wife of Salem Village farmer John Proctor, was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. The Proctors were a wealthy family who lived on a large rented farm on the outskirts of Salem Village, in what is now modern-day Peabody, Massachusetts. Elizabeth, Proctor's third wife,…| History of Massachusetts Blog
William Stoughton was a colonial magistrate for the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Chief Magistrate of Court of Oyer and Terminer during the Salem Witch Trials. Early Life: William Stoughton was born in 1631 to Israel and Elizabeth (Knight) Stoughton. It is not known if Stoughton was born in England…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Captain John Alden Jr, the son of Mayflower pilgrim John Alden, was a merchant from Boston who was accused of witchcraft by a local child during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Alden had stopped at Salem in May on his way home from Quebec, where he had arranged the…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Rebecca Nurse was a 71-year-old grandmother and wife of a local artisan when she was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Nurse was also the sister of accused witches Mary Easty and Sarah Cloyce and the daughter of suspected witch Joanna Blessing Towne. Born in Yarmouth, England in…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Tituba was a slave who worked for Samuel Parris during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The various documents and books about the Salem Witch Trials over the years often refer to Tituba as Black or mixed race, but the actual court documents from her trial refer to her as…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Salem Village was a farming community on the northern edge of Salem Town during the 17th century. It is famous for being the place where the Salem Witch Trials first began in 1692. The village is now a historic district within the town of Danvers, Massachusetts. The area was originally…| History of Massachusetts Blog
George Burroughs was a minister who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. George Burroughs Childhood and Early Life: Burroughs was born in Suffolk, England in 1652 and migrated to the settlement of Roxbury in the Massachusetts Bay Colony with his mother when he was a…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Elizabeth “Betty” Parris was the first afflicted girl and one of the main accusers during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Born in Boston on November 28, 1682, Betty moved to Salem with her family and slave Tituba in November of 1689 when her father, Samuel Parris, was appointed the…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Abigail Williams was one of the first afflicted girls in the Salem Witch Trials. Despite the fact that she was one of the main accusers during the Salem Witch Trials, not much is known about Abigail Williams before or even after the trials ended. What historians do know is that…| History of Massachusetts Blog
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were a dark time in American history. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were killed during the hysteria. Ever since those dark days ended, the trials have become synonymous with mass hysteria and scapegoating. The following are some facts…| History of Massachusetts Blog
Wilmot Redd (also known as Wilmot Read and Wilmot Reed) was a woman from Marblehead who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Redd was the only person from Marblehead who was tried in the Salem Witch Trials. Wilmot Redd was married to a fisherman named Samuel Redd…| History of Massachusetts Blog
