Salem Witch Trials Daily Course – How It Works | Day-by-Day History Education
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Welcome to our YouTube channel! Discover a revolutionary way to learn about the Salem Witch Trials through our daily video series. This comprehensive course follows the actual 1692-1693 timeline, bringing you history as it happened day by day. In this informational episode, learn how our unique course structure works and see a sample daily lesson.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for daily videos throughout 2026-2027 as we follow the historical timeline!
What You’ll Get on This Channel: ✅ Daily bite-sized video lessons (just a few minutes each) ✅ 75-week journey through the complete 1692-1693 timeline ✅ Watch on YouTube as we release them or binge full weeks ✅ Companion resources at AboutSalem.com
Beyond YouTube: 📚 Weekly workbooks with activities and challenges 📝 Blog posts recapping each week’s content 🎙️ The Thing About Salem podcast 🏆 Achievement badges to track your progress
Course Features: 📚 Researched from primary sources 📝 Fill-in-the-blank summaries and reflection questions ✍️ Citation practice and character journal prompts 📖 Vocabulary building and quote analysis 🎯 Four weekly challenges to grow your expertise ⏱️ Watch at your own pace as all YouTube videos remain available
The Salem Witch Trials by the Numbers: • 156+ formal accusations • 30 convictions • 20 executions • Started January 1692 in Minister Samuel Parris’s household • Legal proceedings: February 1692 – May 1693
Perfect for:
History students and educators
Homeschoolers seeking structured curriculum
History enthusiasts wanting deep knowledge
Descendants honoring family connections
Anyone interested in colonial American history
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This nonprofit educational project brings you meticulously researched history accessible to all learners. Whether you’re doing the full course with workbooks or just following the daily YouTube videos, you’re part of a community exploring this pivotal moment in American history.
New videos uploaded daily following the 1692 timeline!
Salem Witch Trials | History Education | Online Course | Colonial America | Massachusetts History | Educational Videos | YouTube History Channel | History Curriculum
Welcome to Week 1 of Salem Witch Trials Daily! Whether you’re working through the full course or just following along, this is where it all begins.
We’re covering the events of 1692-1693 day by day, following the actual timeline. This week sets the foundation for understanding how America’s largest witch panic could happen.
January 1: Introduction to Salem Witch Trials Daily
January 2: Five Contributing Factors
January 3: The History of Massachusetts
January 4: Salem’s Founding
Salem Witch Trials Daily YouTube Playlist
Weekly Podcast
The Thing About Salem: “What harm were Salem’s supposed witches actually accused of causing?”
The Scope of the Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials produced at least 156 formal accusations, 30 convictions, and 20 executions. Some sources suggest accusers named more than 200 people as witches, though not all were prosecuted. It started in mid-January 1692 in the household of Salem Village Minister Samuel Parris. His nine-year-old daughter Betty and eleven-year-old niece Abigail Williams began behaving strangely. They barked like dogs, quacked like ducks, and flapped around like geese pretending to fly. Doctors couldn’t diagnose what was wrong. Strangely, Betty and Abigail were the only ones in a household of eight to exhibit these symptoms. The parents didn’t get sick. Betty’s siblings didn’t get sick. One of the enslaved individuals in the household, John Indian, eventually showed symptoms, but not right away. This mysterious illness in the minister’s house would spark a panic that consumed the colony.
Five Factors That Created the Perfect Storm
Universal Belief in Witchcraft: Belief in witchcraft was nearly universal in 1692. Even trial critics didn’t refute the existence of witches. Those defending accused witches believed in witchcraft. This wasn’t just a Puritan thing or a Massachusetts thing. It was universal across Europe and the colonies, regardless of denomination.
War and Sickness: King Philip’s War in the 1670s was the deadliest war per capita in what is now the United States. King William’s War was being fought in the 1690s in northern New England. War brought trauma, death, and displacement. A smallpox outbreak accompanied King William’s War. Soldiers attempting to invade Quebec came home sick, bringing smallpox with them. This epidemic would later factor into witchcraft accusations.
Economic Collapse: The wars ravaged the economy. Colonial debt was massive. Massachusetts started printing money for the first time to pay war costs. Taxes were high, burdening residents already suffering direct financial losses from the wars. Property destruction, loss of income, and economic precarity created anxiety.
Social Tensions: War refugees flooded into Massachusetts, particularly Essex County where Salem is located. This influx of displaced people heightened existing tensions between neighbors. Economic precarity amplified conflicts.
Religious Anxieties: Many Massachusetts ministers felt the colony was spiritually backsliding. By 1692, this was the third and fourth generation since the founders. Ministers believed the current generation lacked the strong faith of those who first settled in the 1620s and 1630s. Locally in Salem Village, intense controversy surrounded Minister Samuel Parris. For two decades, the community squabbled over ministers. No one lasted more than a few years. In 1692, at least half the community opposed Parris.
These five factors created an environment ripe for panic.
Massachusetts: From Native Land to Colonial Crisis
For more than 10,000 years, Native Americans occupied what is now Massachusetts. In the 16th century, Europeans came to fish and trap game. A series of epidemics from 1616 to 1619 decimated the coastal native population where contact with disease-carrying Europeans was common. English colonists tried several settlements before the Mayflower pilgrims successfully established Plymouth Colony in 1620. In 1626, Roger Conant founded Salem at Naumkeag, a former Native American settlement. The name means “fishing place.”
In 1628, the Massachusetts Bay Company founded Massachusetts Bay Colony. King Charles I issued a charter in 1629 allowing the colony to govern itself. Boston was founded in 1630 and became the colonial capital, displacing Salem. The 1630s brought massive immigration. About 20,000 Europeans poured into New England, creating new towns around Salem. Between 1648 and 1691, Massachusetts prosecuted many witchcraft cases. Eight people were convicted, five were executed, and two women were jailed or placed under house arrest.
In 1684, King James II revoked Massachusetts’s charter, throwing the colony into disarray. Two years later, he established the Dominion of New England, a supercolony running from New Jersey to Nova Scotia under one royal governor, Edmund Andros. Andros was unpopular and harsh. When the Glorious Revolution happened in England in 1688 (King William and Queen Mary taking the throne from James II), colonists stormed Boston’s capitol, arrested Andros, and sent him back to England. From 1688 to 1692, Massachusetts operated under an interim government. Courts couldn’t function properly, leading to jail overcrowding as suspects couldn’t be tried.
Massachusetts finally got a new charter in 1691, but it was controversial. The colony had to tolerate other religious beliefs besides Puritanism. They had to accept Anglicans, Baptists, and Quakers. Previously, they had persecuted these groups, even executing Quakers. The charter was issued in October 1691 but didn’t arrive until February 1692. The new governor didn’t arrive until mid-May. By then, jails were already packed with witchcraft suspects.
Salem: From Capital to Divided Town
Salem was founded in 1626 by Roger Conant, who led 20 families from Cape Ann to settle at Naumkeag. You can see a statue of Conant outside the Salem Witch Museum today. In 1628, the Massachusetts Bay Company bought out the previous holdings. John Endicott was appointed governor and sailed to New England with 100 colonists, establishing his government in Salem. Roger Conant was granted 200 acres in exchange for surrendering leadership. After this peace was forged, the community was renamed Salem, from shalom, the Hebrew word for peace.
The First Church in Salem formed in August 1629. In colonial Massachusetts, a church was a body of people, not a building. Members met in private homes until 1635 when the first church building was constructed. In 1629, John Winthrop succeeded Endicott as governor. In 1630, Winthrop and 700 colonists reached Salem in 11 ships. But Winthrop didn’t stay. He and most new arrivals relocated to found Boston, making it the new capital.
As immigration exploded, new towns were created around Salem. Salem itself originally included what are now Beverly, Marblehead, Manchester, Wenham, Topsfield, Danvers, Middleton, Peabody, and Swampscott. These communities gradually split off. Most of Salem’s population lived near the bustling port. Others resided to the west in Salem Farms, which included a small settlement called Salem Village. Salem Village’s history and disagreements with the town of Salem are crucial for understanding the local dynamics during the witch hunt.
This Week’s Podcast: What Witches Were Accused of Doing
The Thing About Salem: “What harm were Salem’s supposed witches actually accused of causing?”
Understanding what people believed witches could do is essential for understanding why accusations were believed. According to 17th century belief, witches were recruited by Satan. This diabolical witchcraft theory developed in 15th century Europe. All witchcraft was believed to come from Satan. All powers granted to witches came from him. Witches betrayed God by abandoning his church for Satan’s church. Satan marked his recruits with a witch’s mark or teat hidden on their body. Several Salem accused were physically inspected and found to have supposed marks. New witches signed the devil’s book in their own blood, echoing how Puritan church members signed covenants. Witches were baptized by Satan in rivers. They gathered at sabbats where they drank blood wine and ate red bread, mocking Christian sacrament.
In New England, Satan’s purpose was tearing down the Christian Church. The witches supposedly wanted to begin in Salem Village where conflict was rampant. They intended to spread across New England and return the land to the devil. Witches attacked Christ’s kingdom by creating chaos. They afflicted people through maleficium (harmful magic), causing sickness like Betty Parris and Abigail Williams experienced. Many murders were blamed on witches. Witnesses reported seeing ghosts of murder victims dressed in winding sheets, demanding justice. Witches spoiled food, destroyed crops, attacked livestock, and raised storms. They could separate their specters from their bodies. These spirits traveled great distances to harm people, animals, and property. Accused witches were shackled in jail because colonists believed metal prevented specters from roaming free. It apparently didn’t work.
Witches had familiar spirits, usually animals or strange amalgamations. These familiars assisted witches and fed through witch’s teats. Witches could shapeshift, know the future, read private conversations, and use poppets to inflict pain on enemies. The devil promised rewards like money and fashionable clothing to recruits. He never delivered and utterly failed to protect his servants from trial and execution.
Where We Are in the Timeline
Week 1 of ~75 weeks | 1% Complete | January 2026 – May 2027
We’re in the setup phase. January 1-4, 1692. All the conditions are in place, but the trials haven’t started yet. This is the calm before the storm.
Next week, we dive deeper into Salem Village’s conflicts and Minister Samuel Parris’s controversial ministry. We move closer to mid-January when Betty and Abigail’s symptoms become impossible to ignore.
Key People to Remember
Betty Parris (age 9): Minister’s daughter whose symptoms started the panic
Abigail Williams (age 11): Minister’s niece who exhibited the same symptoms
Samuel Parris: Salem Village’s controversial minister facing opposition from half his congregation
Roger Conant: Salem’s founder who surrendered power for land and peace
John Endicott: First governor who established Massachusetts Bay Colony’s government in Salem
Join the Course
This isn’t just a video series. It’s a comprehensive course researched from primary sources by Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack.
Course students get:
Weekly workbooks with activities, exercises, and challenges
Fill-in-the-blank summaries and reflection questions
Citation practice and character journal prompts
Vocabulary building and quote analysis
Achievement badges tracking your progress
A special descendant track for those with ancestral connections
Everyone can:
Watch the daily videos
Read these weekly blogs
Listen to the podcast
Follow along at your own pace
Whether you dive deep or follow casually, you’re welcome here.
✅ #SalemStudent (started the course) ✅ #SalemWeek1 (completed Week 1) ✅ #SalemDescendantPathStudent (if you have ancestral connections)
Use #SalemDailyStudent #SalemWeek1 #ThingAboutSalem #SalemDailyYoutube #SalemDescendantPath to connect with others on this journey.
Join the Conversation
What do you think happens next? When doctors can’t explain Betty and Abigail’s symptoms, and the community is dealing with war trauma, economic collapse, social tensions, and religious anxiety, what does Salem Village do?
This course is created by the nonprofit End Witch Hunts. Your donations support primary source research, educational content, and advocacy for those facing witch accusations today.
What Were Witches Actually Accused of Doing in Salem?
Signing a mysterious book with blood. Attending midnight gatherings in the minister’s pasture. Shape-shifting into wolves. Sending spirits through jail cell walls despite iron shackles. The accusations against Salem’s alleged witches painted a picture of organized supernatural conspiracy that went far beyond what most people imagine.
But what did colonists actually believe witches were doing? How did the Devil supposedly recruit his servants? Why were investigators searching bodies for hidden marks? What made everyday misfortunes like spoiled milk or a bad dream transform into evidence of murder? And how did witnesses claim to see ghostly victims and impossible creatures with mixed animal parts?
The accusations reveal an elaborate belief system where witches weren’t just casting spells. They were waging war against the Christian church itself, plotting to return New England to Satan’s control one village at a time.
What’s in This Episode:
• How Satan allegedly recruited and marked his followers • The role of spectral evidence in convicting the accused • Why metal shackles were believed necessary but didn’t work • What investigators looked for during physical examinations • The supposed plot to establish the Devil’s kingdom in Salem Village • How poppets, familiars, and fortune-telling became criminal evidence • Why witnesses testified to seeing ghosts in winding sheets
Key Topics:
Salem Witch Trials, witchcraft accusations 1692, spectral evidence, Devil’s book, maleficium, witch marks and teats, familiars, poppets, Salem sabbats, Tituba confession, Bridget Bishop, Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, Rebecca Nurse, diabolical witchcraft, colonial New England, Samuel Parris, 17th century witch hunts
Discover the Answer:
What could transform your neighbor into a suspected servant of Satan? Join Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack to find out.
Enjoy this author interview with New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Kent. Kathleen shares how she discovered her descent from Salem Witch Trials victim Martha Carrier and transformed that family history into her acclaimed debut novel, The Heretic’s Daughter.
Martha Carrier was executed on August 19, 1692, after refusing to confess to witchcraft. Accused of causing a deadly smallpox epidemic in Andover, Massachusetts, she stood her ground even when her own children were tortured into testifying against her. Today she’s remembered as a woman who wouldn’t confess to something she didn’t do.
In this conversation, Kathleen discusses her writing process, the challenges of bringing historical figures to life, and offers invaluable insights for aspiring historical fiction writers.
About Kathleen Kent
Kathleen Kent is a New York Times bestselling author whose books include The Heretic’s Daughter (winner of the David J. Langum Sr. Award for American Historical Fiction), The Traitor’s Wife, The Outcasts, and her Edgar Award-nominated crime trilogy. She is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and teaches writing workshops for aspiring novelists.
Episode Highlights
How Kathleen discovered her connection to Martha Carrier
The research process behind The Heretic’s Daughter
Martha Carrier’s story
Advice for aspiring historical fiction writers
Balancing historical accuracy with compelling storytelling
Keywords
Salem Witch Trials, Martha Carrier, Kathleen Kent, The Heretic’s Daughter, historical fiction writing, Andover witch trials, Salem history, writing advice, Colonial America
More than 150 people were accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Had the Court of Oyer and Terminer tried them all, they may all have been hanged.
They sat chained in dungeons to prevent their specters from roaming. They watched as friends and neighbors were dragged to the gallows. As the body count rose, the terror must have reached unimaginable levels. And yet the accusations kept coming.
How did an entire community participate in its own destruction?
In this essential introduction to The Thing About Salem, hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack explore what made Salem different from every other witch hunt in American history. The mystery isn’t what ailed the afflicted girls. Why were people at the highest levels of society accused right alongside the usual suspects?
This episode reveals the forces that turned Salem Village into America’s deadliest witch hunt: warfare closing in on Massachusetts settlements, economic devastation, the collapse of political and religious certainty, and the kind of existential terror that makes the unthinkable seem reasonable.
When a seventh grader reached out with questions for their National History Day documentary, podcast hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack knew they’d been asked something special. The student’s thoughtful inquiries became the foundation for this episode of The Thing About Salem.
This wasn’t just another school assignment. The questions this student asked revealed a depth of engagement that many adults never reach when studying 1692. They saw past the surface story to the human complexity underneath, the kind of questions that don’t have easy answers but force you to truly reckon with what happened in Salem.
We knew immediately these questions needed to be shared. They’re the kind that make history stop being about memorizing events and start being about understanding people, choices, and consequences that still echo today.
Sometimes the best teachers are the ones still in school.
Keywords: Salem Witch Trials, National History Day, student history project, Rebecca Nurse, Joseph Hutchinson, Bridget Bishop, family history research, witch trial education, historical questions, Salem descendants, Tituba, Abigail Williams
In May 1692, one of Boston’s most respected citizens walked into a Salem courtroom—and the accusers couldn’t even identify him. Captain John Alden Jr., son of Mayflower passengers and decorated war hero, seemed an unlikely target for witchcraft accusations. But his connections to Native Americans and the French made him dangerous in the eyes of wartime Massachusetts.
What happened when Salem’s witch hunt reached beyond the village to pull in a prominent Bostonian with impeccable colonial credentials? This episode examines how Captain Alden’s examination revealed the absurdity and danger of the spectral evidence system and how his escape became one of the trial period’s most dramatic moments.
From his parents’ legendary Plymouth courtship to his own flight from justice, Captain Alden’s story shows us who could be accused, who could survive, and what it took to navigate Salem’s machinery of suspicion.
Episode Highlights:
John Alden Sr. and Priscilla: The last surviving Mayflower passenger and the marriage that inspired Longfellow
Captain Alden’s controversial fur trading and the rumors that made him a target
The chaotic May 31st examination where accusers needed prompting
The touch test, the sword, and the claims of “Indian Papooses”
His September escape to Duxbury and surprising return
Key Figures: Captain John Alden Jr., John & Priscilla Alden, Judges Bartholomew Gedney and John Richards, Rev. Samuel Willard, Robert Calef
The Thing About Salem examines the people, places, and events of the 1692 Salem witch trials. New episodes weekly.
When you think “Massachusetts witch trials,” you think Salem, 1692. But what if we told you that 44 years before Salem, Massachusetts was already executing people for witchcraft in Boston?
Between 1648 and 1693, more than 200 people were formally charged with witchcraft across Massachusetts. In 1957, the state cleared 31 Salem victims. But Boston’s victims have been forgotten.
On November 25, 2025, Bill H.1927 goes before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary to finally exonerate 8 individuals convicted of witchcraft in Boston and recognize everyone else who suffered accusations across Massachusetts.
Co-hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, descendants of Salem witch trial victims and co-founders of the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project, explain why Salem’s story is incomplete without Boston—and how YOU can help Massachusetts finish the job.
Before Salem: Boston’s Forgotten Victims
Five women were executed in Boston:
Margaret Jones (1648) – First person executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts, 44 years before Salem
Elizabeth Kendall (1651)
Alice Lake (1651)
Ann Hibbins (1656)
Goody Glover (1688) – Executed just 4 years before Salem, her case influenced Cotton Mather
Three others were convicted but not executed:
Hugh Parsons (1651)
Eunice Cole (1656-1680) Eunice was brought to court on witchcraft accusations over and over!
Cotton Mather was deeply involved in Goody Glover’s 1688 trial in Boston. Her execution influenced his thinking about witchcraft—thinking he brought to Salem just four years later.
The same fears, the same accusations, the same injustice—Boston laid the groundwork for what happened in Salem.
When Massachusetts cleared Salem’s victims in 1957, they left Boston’s victims behind.
What Bill H.1927 Does:
✅ Exonerates the 8 individuals convicted of witchcraft in Boston between 1647-1688
✅ Recognizes all others who suffered accusations across Massachusetts
✅ Completes the work Massachusetts started in 1957 when they cleared Salem’s victims
✅ Acknowledges that Salem wasn’t the beginning—Boston was
✅ Costs nothing – zero fiscal impact
How You Can Help RIGHT NOW:
1. Sign the Petition: Change.org/witchtrials – Over 14,000 signatures and growing
2. Contact Massachusetts Representatives: Email or call members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary before November 25th
3. Submit Written Testimony: Even if you can’t attend in person, your voice matters
4. Share This Episode: Help spread the word before the November 25th hearing
Why Salem’s Story Is Incomplete Without Boston:
For decades, we’ve told the story of Salem 1692 as if it appeared out of nowhere. But Massachusetts had been executing people for witchcraft since 1648.
The fears, the evidence, the methods—all of it was already established in Boston before it exploded in Salem.
You can’t understand Salem without understanding Boston.
Connecticut Showed It Could Be Done:
Josh and Sarah co-founded the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project and launched their podcast in 2022 to support the legislative effort. With help from listeners like you, Connecticut passed House Joint Resolution 34 in May 2023 with overwhelming bipartisan support, absolving 11 individuals and recognizing all others who suffered accusations.
You were part of Connecticut’s success from the beginning. Now Massachusetts needs you to help finish what they started in 1957.
Key Facts:
Boston’s first execution was in 1648—44 years before Salem
Goody Glover’s 1688 execution influenced Cotton Mather just 4 years before Salem
More than 200 people were formally charged with witchcraft in Massachusetts (1648-1693)
Massachusetts cleared 31 Salem victims in 1957, but left Boston’s victims behind
Massachusetts has already amended the 1957 Resolve twice (2001 and 2022)
Bill H.1927 simply continues this established pattern with zero fiscal impact
The November 25th Hearing:
When: November 25, 2025 Where: Massachusetts State House, Joint Committee on the Judiciary What: Public testimony on Bill H.1927
Even if you can’t attend, you can submit written testimony or contact committee members.
Why This Matters Today:
When we clear the names of historical victims, we acknowledge that witch hunting is not a relic of the past—it continues in the same form globally. The same patterns of accusation, fear, and injustice that started in Boston in 1648 and exploded in Salem in 1692 continue in witch hunts around the world today.
The Thing About Salem Co-hosted by Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack Descendants of Salem witch trial victims Co-founders of the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project A project of End Witch Hunts nonprofit organization
In this episode of The Thing About Salem, co-hosts Sarah Jack and Josh Hutchinson examine one of the most invasive and degrading practices used during the Salem Witch Trials: the search for witch’s marks and devil’s teats. Discover how this invented “evidence” was used to convict innocent people—including the hosts’ ancestors.
What You’ll Learn:
The Origins of Witch Mark Theory
How English legal writers like Michael Dalton (1618) and William Perkins created detailed instructions for finding “devil’s marks”
Why Richard Bernard claimed these marks appeared in “secretest parts” requiring invasive searches
The shocking truth: none of this evidence appears in the Bible
Familiar Spirits in Salem
Cotton Mather’s definition of familiar spirits as “devils in bodily shapes”
Strange creatures described in testimony: hairless cats with human ears, rooster-monkey hybrids, and hairy upright beings
How these supposed demons were believed to feed from witch’s teats
The Salem Examinations
Documented searches of accused witches including Rebecca Nurse, Bridget Bishop, and Elizabeth Procter
George Jacobs Sr.’s brutal examination with pins driven through his flesh
Four-year-old Dorothy Good’s traumatic examination and the “flea bite” used as evidence
Why some marks disappeared between examinations—and what that tells us
Dehumanizing Practices
The invasive nature of stripping and examining prisoners in their “most intimate areas”
How postpartum scarring from childbirth was twisted into evidence of witchcraft
Why the Court of Oyer and Terminer convicted all 27 people tried in 1692—whether marks were found or not
Modern Connections As Robert Calef pointed out in More Wonders of the Invisible World, witch marks weren’t biblical—they were man-made tests designed to find guilt. This pattern continues in modern witch hunts worldwide, where accusers still decide what constitutes “evidence” against innocent victims.
Perfect for listeners interested in:
Salem Witch Trials history
Colonial American history
Wrongful convictions and false evidence
Women’s history and bodily autonomy
Modern witch hunts and human rights
Historical witchcraft accusations
Legal history and justice reform
Featured Historical Sources:
William Perkins, A Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft
Michael Dalton, The Countrey Justice (1618)
Richard Bernard, The Certainty of the World of Spirits
Cotton Mather, Wonders of the Invisible World
Robert Calef, More Wonders of the Invisible World
Deodat Lawson, A Brief and True Narrative
Original Salem Witch Trial examination records
About the Hosts: Sarah Jack and Josh Hutchinson are descendants of Salem witch trial victims and co-founders of End Witch Hunts, a nonprofit addressing modern witch hunts globally. Together, they co-host The Thing About Salem and The Thing About Witch Hunts (265+ episodes).
Support Our Work: Learn more about modern witch hunts and how to help at EndWitchHunts.org
How does a town infamous for executing twenty people for alleged diabolical witchcraft rebrand itself as “Witch City”? Salem spent centuries trying to forget 1692, then something changed. Join descendants Sarah and Josh as they uncover the surprising story of how grief, guilt, and capitalism collided to transform Salem into America’s Halloween capital. From the first witch-themed business to the controversy over memorializing victims, this is the untold story of who chose to remember, who profited, and what got lost along the way.
What You’ll Discover:
Why did Salem stay silent about the trials for over 150 years, and what finally broke that silence? Who made the first move to capitalize on witch trial history (the answer might surprise you)? When the city had a chance to build a memorial in 1892, why did descendants of the accusers fight so hard against it? And how did a fish company, a souvenir spoon, and a Knights Templar march help pave the “yellow brick road” to Witch City?
Keywords:
Salem witch trials | Witch City | Salem Massachusetts | Halloween tourism | dark tourism | historical memory | commercialization of tragedy | Salem history | 1692 witch hunt | American history | New England | modern witchcraft | Pagan community | tourism | memorialization | historical injustice | colonial America | Arthur Miller | The Crucible | Haunted Happenings
About The Thing About Salem:
Sarah and Josh are descendants of Salem witch trial victims investigating how their ancestors’ tragedy became a tourism empire, and what that transformation reveals about memory, commerce, and identity.
Discover the shocking truth about ghosts in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. This isn’t your typical ghost story. These supernatural encounters were used as courtroom evidence that sent innocent people to the gallows. Join hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack as they explore the different types of apparitions that appeared in Salem testimony, from murdered wives seeking vengeance to protective angels revealing hidden crimes.
Some Featured Historical Cases
– George Burroughs. Former minister accused by ghostly wives appearing in winding sheets
– Ann Putnam Jr.’s Testimony: Multiple ghost sightings including murdered wives, children, and victims
– Martha Carrier’s Examination. Thirteen ghosts appearing as evidence against her
– Spectral Evidence. How ghost testimony became critical courtroom evidence leading to convictions
The Role of Ghosts as Legal Evidence
Learn how supernatural testimony functioned in 1692 trials.
Historical Figures Mentioned
George Burroughs, Ann Putnam Jr., Bridget Bishop, John Willard, Martha Carrier, Rebecca Nurse, Mary Bradbury, Giles Corey, Mary Easty, Susannah Sheldon, Mary Walcott, Elizabeth Hubbard
The Salem Irony
The ultimate twist: In 1692, innocent people were executed for supposedly appearing as ghosts. Today, tourists pay for ghost tours hoping to encounter those same spirits. Salem, Massachusetts—where historical tragedy became supernatural entertainment.
Episode Hosts
– Josh Hutchinson- Co-host, The Thing About Salem
– Sarah Jack – Co-host, The Thing About Salem
Keywords
Salem Witch Trials, ghost evidence, spectral evidence, 1692 Salem, Ann Putnam Jr., George Burroughs, Salem ghosts, witchcraft trials, historical ghosts, Salem Massachusetts, witch trial testimony, supernatural evidence, colonial America, Salem history, ghost tours Salem
What connects a 2014 internet horror tragedy to the fear of 1692 Salem? In this captivating 15-minute clip from our full conversation, Josh and Sarah—along with Ain’t it Scary? with Sean and Carrie podcast —draw haunting parallels between the young girls involved in the Slender Man stabbing case and the afflicted girls of the Salem witch trials.
How do fear, belief, and community pressure transform young people into actors in real-world tragedies? From oppressed accusers in colonial Massachusetts to pre-teens acting on digital folklore. A thought-provoking exploration of monsters, morality, and the girls who became part of history’s shocking moments.
Episode Highlights
🔮 Girls Under Pressure – Comparing the afflicted girls of Salem to the Slender Man crime perpetrators ⚖️ Belief Gone Wrong – When fear of something unseen leads to tragedy 🎃 Monster or Victim? – Society’s struggle to categorize young people who do terrible things 👻 The Power of Narrative – How stories—whether Puritan theology or internet creepypasta—drive real-world actions 🕯️ Panic Then and Now – What the Salem trials teach us about modern viral panic
About Our Returning Guests
Sean & Carrie host Ain’t it Scary with Sean and Carrie, where a skeptic and a believer explore the unknown, unsolved, unbelievable, and just plain weird. With their passion for history and uncovering truth, they bring complementary perspectives to every mystery they tackle.
Keywords
Slender Man, Salem witch trials, afflicted girls, creepypasta, true crime, digital folklore, witch hunts, moral panic, paranormal podcast, horror podcast, Ain’t it Scary, historical parallels, Salem Massachusetts, youth violence, folklore
Listen & Subscribe
Don’t wander off the path—subscribe to The Thing About Salem and join us every episode as we explore the trials, mysteries, and untold stories of Salem and beyond.
Also check out: Ain’t it Scary with Sean and Carrie wherever you listen to podcasts!
In this episode of ‘The Thing About Salem,’ hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack explore the various ways the Salem Witch Trials have been depicted in films and TV shows over the decades. They discuss the historical and fictional elements in productions like ‘The Crucible,’ ‘Maid of Salem,’ the ‘Bewitched’ TV series, and ‘Hocus Pocus,’ highlighting how these portrayals have shaped and transformed Salem’s image in popular culture. The episode also covers works such as ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ and ‘Three Sovereigns for Sarah,’ emphasizing the ongoing cultural fascination with this dark chapter in American history.
00:00 Introduction to Salem in Pop Culture
01:04 Maid of Salem and The Crucible
02:37 Salem Witch Trials miniseries and Hocus Pocus
05:01 Bewitched and Sabrina the Teenage Witch
10:07 The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Three Sovereigns for Sarah
13:49 Conclusion: The Legacy of Salem in Pop Culture
The Thing About Salem concludes our exclusive three-part series with Ben Wickey as we explore the modern implications of his debut graphic novel More Weight: A Salem Story in Part 3. With the book released September 23, we examine why this Salem Witch Trials story resonates powerfully with contemporary readers.
Wickey discusses Salem’s modern identity and how his work addresses the town’s complex relationship with its tragic past. We explore the visual challenges of depicting historical horror, his artistic influences including Alan Moore’s impact on his creativity, and why he chose a mature rating for responsible storytelling about historical brutality.
What aspects of the 1692 witch trials feel most relevant today? We discuss modern witch hunts, the importance of authentic historical narratives in pop culture, and how Wickey’s ancestral connection influenced his approach to Salem’s psychological darkness.
This final installment reveals why critics are calling this an “appalling masterpiece” and how More Weight will reshape how we understand Salem’s legacy for future generations.
Keywords: Ben Wickey, Salem modern relevance, More Weight final review, contemporary witch hunts, Alan Moore influence, Salem today historical horror
The Thing About Salem continues our conversation with Ben Wickey in Part 2 of our three-part series about his groundbreaking graphic novel More Weight: A Salem Story, releasing next week. This installment focuses on the heart of Wickey’s narrative: the psychological transformation of Giles Corey.
We explore Corey’s devastating journey from testifying against his wife Martha to his defiant final moments uttering “more weight” as stones crushed him to death. Wickey reveals his meticulous research using historical documents and his innovative dual-timeline narrative featuring Nathaniel Hawthorne interludes that bridge past and present.
As a Mary Easty descendant, Wickey discusses the emotional weight of bringing his ancestor’s story and Salem’s broader tragedy to authentic life. We examine how he balanced historical brutality with responsible storytelling, his striking use of color and its absence, and why maintaining historical accuracy was crucial to honoring the victims’ memory.
This is essential listening for anyone interested in Salem Witch Trials history and how graphic novels can illuminate our darkest chapters.
With his highly anticipated debut graphic novel “More Weight: A Salem Story” releasing, Massachusetts-born author Ben Wickey joins us for an exclusive pre-launch interview about this Alan Moore-praised “appalling masterpiece.” The Edward Gorey Award-winning artist’s first solo work tells the harrowing tale of Giles Corey, the only person pressed to death under stones during the infamous 1692 Salem Witch Trials.
What makes this upcoming graphic novel release extraordinary? Beyond Wickey’s stunning and unmatched visual storytelling that brings historical horror to visceral life, he is a descendant of Salem Witch Trial victim Mary Easty, bringing deeply personal perspective to this decade-long project that Publishers Weekly compared to “From Hell.”
We explore the pre-release excitement, Wickey’s meticulous research using historical documents, and his innovative dual-timeline narrative featuring Nathaniel Hawthorne interludes. Using the graphic novel format, Wickey cuts through pop culture mythology to restore the genuine horror and humanity of Salem’s history.
Discover how Corey transformed from testifying against his wife Martha to defiantly uttering his final words “more weight,” and why this Salem witch hunt story will captivate readers everywhere.
What happens when a few cryptic accusations transform into elaborate tales of midnight gatherings with the Devil himself? In Salem, the introduction of witches’ sabbath stories didn’t just add fuel to the fire—it created an inferno that would consume an entire community. These stories reveal how panic spreads and conspiracies grow, transforming neighbors into enemies and turning familiar landscapes into theaters of supernatural warfare.
Episode Highlights:
European Origins of Sabbath Stories • In the western Alps in the 1430s, stories spread after religious conferences • Originally called the “Synagogue of Satan,” not sabbath or sabbat • 1669 Swedish trials in Elfdale Province featured children confessing to journeys to Blockula • Accused described calling “Antecessor come and carry us to Blockula” three times at crossroads • The Devil appeared in a gray coat, red and blue stockings, and distinctive high-crowned hat with red beard
Salem’s Transformation • European sabbath tales were fresh in colonial minds when Salem’s hunt began •Stories evolved from simple accusations into vast conspiracy narratives
Impact on the Witch Hunt • Each confession built upon previous stories, creating coherent mythology • Details seemed to confirm worst fears about supernatural conspiracy • Stories recorded as evidence and treated as truth by authorities • Transformed the scope from individual accusations to community-wide threat
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