The Salem Witch Trials Museum
Enter the e-museum
How it all started
which witch is which ?
a worlDwide phenomenon
once hysteria had settled
In the small town of salem . . .
Where it all started
In January of 1692, nine-year-old Betty Parris and eleven-year-old Abigail Williams, the daughter and niece of Salem Village minister Reverend Samuel Parris, suddenly fell ill. Making strange, foreign sounds, huddling under furniture, and clutching their heads, the girls’ symptoms were alarming and astounding to their parents and neighbors. When neither prayer nor medicine succeeded in alleviating the girls’ agony, the worried parents turned to the only other explanation; the children were suffering from the effects of witchcraft. As word of the illness spread, others began to fall ill with the same alarming symptoms. The afflicted complained disembodied spirits were stabbing them, choking them, and jabbing them with pins.
In the small town of salem . . .
A local doctor blamed the supernatural. Another girl, 12-year-old Ann Putnam Jr., experienced similar episodes. On February 29, under pressure from magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne, colonial officials who tried local cases, the girls blamed three women for afflicting them: Tituba, a Caribbean woman enslaved by the Parris family; Sarah Good, a homeless beggar; and Sarah Osborne, an elderly impoverished woman. . .
In the small town of salem . . .
The three accused witches were brought before the magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne and questioned, even as their accusers appeared in the courtroom in a grand display of spasms, contortions, screaming and writhing. Though Good and Osborn denied their guilt, Tituba confessed. Likely seeking to save herself from certain conviction by acting as an informer, she claimed there were other witches acting alongside her in service of the devil
Witch trials took place over the span of about 300 years, during what is known as the early modern period.
A worlwide phenomenon
While anyone could be accused of witchcraft, those who were different were the most easily blamed and typically the first accused. Suspicions often began with beggars, older or unmarried women, women who fought with their neighbors, or healers and midwives. Overtime, a stereotype of the witch as an older, aggressive, haggard woman emerged as a combination of the writings, folktales, and accusations of this era
Today, the Salem trials of 1692 are perhaps the most well-known series of witchcraft trials in the Western world. Though notorious, the devastating events that took place in Salem were a comparatively short episode in a much lengthier, violent history.
In total, approximately 45,000 people were executed for the crime of witchcraft, about 75% of whom were women.
“It were better that ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person be condemned"
Once hysteria had settled
we hope you enjoyed your visit at the Salem witch museum
Though a resolution was passed by the General Court in 1711, seven individuals were not included by name, and thus technically remained convicted of witchcraft. In 1945, a bill was introduced into legislature to clear six names, headed by descendants of Ann Pudeator (one of the accused witch). Twelve years later, a resolution was passed that pardoned “Ann Pudeator and certain other persons.” However, these “other persons” were yet to be formally named. Five of the missing names were finally added to the resolve in October of 2001, formally declaring the innocence of Bridget Bishop, Susannah Martin, Alice Parker, Margaret Scott, and Wilmott Redd. Unfortunately, one last name, that of Elizabeth Johnson Jr., was missed in the 2001 resolve. This last case was finally resolved in the summer of 2022.
On October 3, following in his son Cotton’s footsteps, Increase Mather, then-president of Harvard, denounced the use of spectral evidence: “It were better that ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person be condemned.” Phips, in response to these pleas and his own wife’s questioning as a suspected witch, prohibited further arrests and released many accused witches. He dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer on October 29, replacing it with a Superior Court of Judicature, which disallowed spectral evidence The Salem witch trials were over . . .
As the years passed, some offered apologies for their role in the witchcraft trials and restitution was eventually paid to many of the victims and their families. In 1697, the Massachusetts General Court ordered a day of fasting and prayer in atonement for errors made by the colony, including the witchcraft trials. On this day one judge, Samuel Sewall, and 12 jurors, came forward to apologize for their roles in the Salem witch trials. The other magistrates never admitted there had been a miscarriage of justice, going to their graves believing they did what was best for the colony.
The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between early 1692 and mid-1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft—the devil’s magic—and 20 were executed.
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Presided over by judges including Hathorne, Samuel Sewall and William Stoughton, the court handed down its first conviction, against Bridget Bishop, on June 2 1692; she was hanged eight days later on what would become known as Gallows Hill in Salem Town. Five more people were hanged that July; five in August and eight more in September. In addition, seven other accused witches died in jail.
Salem Trial Museum
Julie Le Mercier
Created on November 4, 2023
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Transcript
The Salem Witch Trials Museum
Enter the e-museum
How it all started
which witch is which ?
a worlDwide phenomenon
once hysteria had settled
In the small town of salem . . .
Where it all started
In January of 1692, nine-year-old Betty Parris and eleven-year-old Abigail Williams, the daughter and niece of Salem Village minister Reverend Samuel Parris, suddenly fell ill. Making strange, foreign sounds, huddling under furniture, and clutching their heads, the girls’ symptoms were alarming and astounding to their parents and neighbors. When neither prayer nor medicine succeeded in alleviating the girls’ agony, the worried parents turned to the only other explanation; the children were suffering from the effects of witchcraft. As word of the illness spread, others began to fall ill with the same alarming symptoms. The afflicted complained disembodied spirits were stabbing them, choking them, and jabbing them with pins.
In the small town of salem . . .
A local doctor blamed the supernatural. Another girl, 12-year-old Ann Putnam Jr., experienced similar episodes. On February 29, under pressure from magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne, colonial officials who tried local cases, the girls blamed three women for afflicting them: Tituba, a Caribbean woman enslaved by the Parris family; Sarah Good, a homeless beggar; and Sarah Osborne, an elderly impoverished woman. . .
In the small town of salem . . .
The three accused witches were brought before the magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne and questioned, even as their accusers appeared in the courtroom in a grand display of spasms, contortions, screaming and writhing. Though Good and Osborn denied their guilt, Tituba confessed. Likely seeking to save herself from certain conviction by acting as an informer, she claimed there were other witches acting alongside her in service of the devil
Witch trials took place over the span of about 300 years, during what is known as the early modern period.
A worlwide phenomenon
While anyone could be accused of witchcraft, those who were different were the most easily blamed and typically the first accused. Suspicions often began with beggars, older or unmarried women, women who fought with their neighbors, or healers and midwives. Overtime, a stereotype of the witch as an older, aggressive, haggard woman emerged as a combination of the writings, folktales, and accusations of this era
Today, the Salem trials of 1692 are perhaps the most well-known series of witchcraft trials in the Western world. Though notorious, the devastating events that took place in Salem were a comparatively short episode in a much lengthier, violent history.
In total, approximately 45,000 people were executed for the crime of witchcraft, about 75% of whom were women.
“It were better that ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person be condemned"
Once hysteria had settled
we hope you enjoyed your visit at the Salem witch museum
Though a resolution was passed by the General Court in 1711, seven individuals were not included by name, and thus technically remained convicted of witchcraft. In 1945, a bill was introduced into legislature to clear six names, headed by descendants of Ann Pudeator (one of the accused witch). Twelve years later, a resolution was passed that pardoned “Ann Pudeator and certain other persons.” However, these “other persons” were yet to be formally named. Five of the missing names were finally added to the resolve in October of 2001, formally declaring the innocence of Bridget Bishop, Susannah Martin, Alice Parker, Margaret Scott, and Wilmott Redd. Unfortunately, one last name, that of Elizabeth Johnson Jr., was missed in the 2001 resolve. This last case was finally resolved in the summer of 2022.
On October 3, following in his son Cotton’s footsteps, Increase Mather, then-president of Harvard, denounced the use of spectral evidence: “It were better that ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person be condemned.” Phips, in response to these pleas and his own wife’s questioning as a suspected witch, prohibited further arrests and released many accused witches. He dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer on October 29, replacing it with a Superior Court of Judicature, which disallowed spectral evidence The Salem witch trials were over . . .
As the years passed, some offered apologies for their role in the witchcraft trials and restitution was eventually paid to many of the victims and their families. In 1697, the Massachusetts General Court ordered a day of fasting and prayer in atonement for errors made by the colony, including the witchcraft trials. On this day one judge, Samuel Sewall, and 12 jurors, came forward to apologize for their roles in the Salem witch trials. The other magistrates never admitted there had been a miscarriage of justice, going to their graves believing they did what was best for the colony.
The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between early 1692 and mid-1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft—the devil’s magic—and 20 were executed.
Got an idea?
Use this space to add awesome interactivity. Include text, images, videos, tables, PDFs... even interactive questions! Premium tip: Get information on how your audience interacts with your creation:
Presided over by judges including Hathorne, Samuel Sewall and William Stoughton, the court handed down its first conviction, against Bridget Bishop, on June 2 1692; she was hanged eight days later on what would become known as Gallows Hill in Salem Town. Five more people were hanged that July; five in August and eight more in September. In addition, seven other accused witches died in jail.