Tituba, an enslaved woman in the household of Salem Village’s minister, was one of the first to be accused of witchcraft in 1692. Under enormous pressure, she became the first to confess and claim there were more witches hiding in the colony. Through word Tituba was defined as a witch and through the word she...
History is like a game of telephone: an incorrect fact can be passed from person to person and become conventional wisdom. Through diligent research, historians strive to untangle these errors. Join us during Salem Ancestry Days for an hour long, free virtual lecture given by our Department of Education. In this talk, we’re going to...
Witch hunting is a thing of the past in the western world. Witch persecution is alluded as a tragic episode that happened centuries ago. Incidentally, this is not the case in many parts of Africa. Witch persecutions and trials are ongoing incidents in the region. Witchcraft accusation is a form of death sentence in many...
We’re delighted to welcome author Heather B. Moore, a tenth-generation descendant of Susannah Martin, for a signing at the Salem Witch Museum on June 22, 2023. Moore’s historical fiction work,...
Why do witches wear pointed hats? Or have big noses? Or eat children? The answers, it may surprise us to learn, can be found in the history of antisemitism. Before...
Studying the lives of colonial women can be a difficult undertaking. Ferreting out basic information, from a birthday to a maiden name, is often impossible. This is particularly challenging when...
We’re delighted to welcome author Janice Thompson for a book signing at the Salem Witch Museum on Friday, May 24, 2024. Thompson’s first novel is a historical fiction work titled...
Cotton Mather is perhaps most famous for his role in the Salem witch trials. He was also the minister at Boston’s North Church (Second Church) and a prolific writer with...
In 1900, America was introduced to both its first fairytale and its first good witches. L. Frank Baum’s iconic children’s story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ushered in a new...
The American Ancestors organization once estimated 15 million people can trace their family line back to the Salem witch trials. We often tell visitors that the English colonists of 1692...
