0
0
I wasn’t a huge fan of “The Crucible” when we read it in my 10th grade English class.
A trip to Salem, Mass., though, brought the events of 1692 to life and changed my mind. We visited the town, the site of the famous Witch Trials, on the last day of a four-day trip.
The excitement of experiencing it in person was at an all-time high because me and my brother are into spooky places and things.
Our first stop was the old town hall where our tour started. Despite its negative history, the vibe in the town was happy and everyone was in a good mood. I looked forward to learning more.
The tour wasn’t just about the witch trials. Many terrible events have occurred in Salem.
Rockafellas Restaurant, for example, is in the Daniel Low Building, which was owned by a silversmith. Low worked so hard that he brought on his own demise. Ghosts – a minister and a woman in a blue dress – have been seen in the restaurant.
The minister is thought to be associated with one of the town’s first houses of worship while the lady in blue is often heard screaming in the tunnels under the structure, once a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Yet another gruesome event occurred in Salem back in 1830 and that was the murder of Capt. Joseph White, a merchant who was said to be involved in the slave trade. White was killed by brothers, Frank and Joseph Knapp. Both were executed.
Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe have referred to White’s murder in several of their works.
While on the tour, we met people who were staying at the Salem Inn and they said it was home to spirits. They heard footsteps and scratching noises coming from a closet. They saw doorknobs moving when no one was there.
We visited the Witch House of Salem, where Judge Jonathan Corwin lived. It is the only house still standing with direct ties to the trials. Corwin questioned some of the accused, gathered information and signed warrants that led to arrests.
At one of the cemeteries, there were a few headstones with the names of the witches on them.
On Main Street, tourists could buy crystals and other merchandise associated with witchcraft.
Author
