The Witch Village in Salem, Massachusetts, holds a significant place in American history. Known for the famous Salem witch trials, this village attracts history buffs and tourists alike. The witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions that took place between 1692 and 1693, resulting in the execution of 20 individuals accused of witchcraft. Salem today has embraced its witch trials past and has become a popular tourist destination. The village features various attractions and activities that delve into the history of the trials. Visitors can explore sites such as the Witch House, also known as the Jonathan Corwin House, which is the only structure in Salem with direct ties to the trials.

Salem Wax Museum of Witches & Seafarers

Salem’s original wax museum, for over 30 years, this self guided, open gallery depicts Salem’s history from seafarers to the witch trials. It includes the 14ft tall Witch Trials Memorial statute. Gift shop with free gravestone rubbings. Hysteria Pass discount with the Salem Witch Village. AAA, military group discounts. Home to the Haunted Neighborhood in October. ♿

Visitors can explore sites such as the Witch House, also known as the Jonathan Corwin House, which is the only structure in Salem with direct ties to the trials. This well-preserved historic home offers an immersive experience with period furnishings and exhibits on the witch trials. The Salem Witch Museum is another notable site in the village.

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Pioneer Village

America’s first living history museum is not Colonial Williamsburg or Plymouth Plantation but Salem’s own Pioneer Village In 1930, the city of Salem set out to re-create Salem as it would have appeared at the time of John Winthrop’s arrival in 1630. The project was part of Salem’s contribution to the Massachusetts Tercentenary celebration in 1930. Overseeing the recreation was George Francis Dow. The noted antiquarian-architect insisted whenever possible 17th century materials and construction methods were to be utilized. The spot chosen for the 3 acre village was a harbor front site in Forest River Park. The complex featured various types of early colonial dwellings including dugouts, wigwams, and thatched roof cottages. The centerpiece of the village was a recreation of the “fayre house” that had been built for Governor John Endicott after his arrival in 1628. Five thousand plants, trees and shrubs representing species known to have grown in the Salem area in 1630 added an air of authenticity. So did the recreated sawpit, salt works, and blacksmith shop. The city’s newest historic attraction even boasted a replica of John Winthrop’s ship Arbella. Pioneer Village opened in June 1930 and remained a popular tourist destination well into the 1950’s. Among the tens of thousands of visitors were President Calvin Coolidge and actress Bette Davis. Then for a variety of reasons the site gradually deteriorated over the next few decades. Fires, vandalism, and neglect took their toll. Finally, in 1985, the City of Salem Park Commission voted to raze the village.
A year later, however, the Commission was signing a contract with Pioneer Village Associates, headed by Peter LaChapelle of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site and David Goss of the House of the Seven Gables, to restore and manage the once-popular site. In the ensuing few years Goss, LaChapelle, and other museum professionals and volunteers worked to restore Pioneer Village to its former glory. They cleared and burned acres of brush, planted herb gardens, and rebuilt, with the help of retired carpenter and volunteer extraordinaire Bob Leblanc, every structure In the village. The wigwam and roofs of the cottages were thatched by two brothers from Ireland.
The village was open on a full time basis by the 1988 tourist season. Enhancing the visitation experience were specially bred animals from Plimouth Plantation.The beasts represented the Pioneer Village Associates search for 17th century authenticity whenever finances would allow. In all, the restoration team raised approximately $200,000. A grand reopening of Pioneer Village was held in June, 1990. The following year Goss and LaChappelle won the American Society of Travel Writers prestigious Phoenix Award for their roles in the restoration effort. Jim McAllister
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History of Salem Village

Salem Village was a farming community on the northern edge of Salem Town during the 17 th 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 inhabited by members of the Naumkeag band of the Pawtucket tribe. About 200 natives lived in the Salem Village area.

When an epidemic broke out in the Native-American villages in New England in 1616 – 1619, the native population in Salem area was reduced to about 50 people.

In 1632, John Endecott established a 300 acre orchard farm in the area that is now Salem Village, making him of one of the original settlers of Danvers.

In 1634, Reverend Samuel Shelton/Skelton was also awarded a land grant in what is now Salem Village.

In 1635, John Humphrey and Emmanuel Downing were also awarded land grants in the Salem Village area. Downing’s land grant was the largest at 500 to 700 acres, although part of that land was in modern day Peabody.

Between 1636 and 1638, Salem Town began allocating more land grants in the Salem Village area. One such land grant was for William Hathorne, in 1637, who was granted a tract of land in the area now known as Hathorne Hill where the Danvers State Hospital building is now located.

By 1638, Salem granted rights to several individuals to establish a village, which became known as Salem Village, while the area that now includes modern day Beverly and Reading was known as Salem Farms.

Houses were scattered throughout Salem Village with no real concentration to the settlement.

Old Salem Village, illustration published in A Short History of the Salem Village Witchcraft Trials, circa 1911

By 1640, about 100 people lived in Salem Village.

Several attempts were made to establish a separate parish in Salem Village but it wasn’t until 1670 that a petition to the town of Salem was acted upon and plans were put in place to establish the Salem Village Parish.

In 1670, the Ingersoll House, a residential home that also served as a tavern, was built for Nathaniel Ingersoll on Hobart Street.

By 1672, the population of Salem Village was about 350 people.

Also in 1672, the first meetinghouse was built in Salem Village near what is now the corner of Hobart and Forest Streets on an acre of land donated by Joseph Hutchinson.

On October 8, 1672, Salem Village officially separated from Salem Town as a parish and was granted the authority to hire a minister, build a meetinghouse and collect taxes for public improvements.

In 1678, Francis Nurse purchased a plot of land from John Endecott, on what is now modern day Pine Street, and built a large Colonial saltbox house on the property, now known as the Rebecca Nurse Homestead.

In 1679, Joseph Houlton gave five and a half acres of land in the center of Salem Village for the construction of a parsonage.

In 1681, the Salem Village Parsonage was built on the land Houlton donated in the center of Salem Village on what is now Centre Street.

From 1681 to 1683, George Burroughs served as the minister at Salem Village. He left when the parishioners, who where heavily divided and constantly feuding, failed to pay his salary. A decade later, Burroughs was later accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692.

From 1684 to 1688, Deodat Lawson served as the minister at Salem Village. He eventually left Salem Village altogether when some of the feuding parishioners objected to him as their permanent minister.

In 1689, Samuel Parris was hired as the new minister at Salem Village and quickly found himself caught up in the feuds of the Salem Village parishioners.

Trouble began in January of 1692 when a group of girls from Salem Village began behaving strangely and suffering fits. Around the end of February, a local doctor declared that they have been bewitched.

In March of 1692, the Salem Witch Trials officially began in Salem Village when the young girls accused three women from Salem Village of afflicting them.

One of the women, Tituba, later confessed and stated that there were more witches in the village, which sparked a massive hunt for the others witches that spread to Salem town and later to other towns in the Massachusetts Bay Colony such as Andover, Salisbury and Gloucester.

Former minister Deodat Lawson briefly returned to Salem Village in March of 1692 to write a pamphlet about the events of the Salem Witch Trials, titled A Brief and True Narrative of Some Remarkable Passages Relating to Sundry Persons Afflicted by Witchcraft, at Salem Village which Happened from the Nineteenth of March, to the fifth of April, 1692.

By the time the trials ended in 1693, over 200 people had been arrested for witchcraft, 19 people had been hanged and one person was tortured to death.

In 1696, the Old Putnam Burying Ground was established on Summer Street when Elizabeth Parris, wife of Reverend Parris, was buried there.

Also in 1696, Samuel Parris left his position as minister at Salem Village due to protests from some of the parishioners over his role in the Salem Witch Trials.

From 1698 to 1715, Joseph Green served as the minister at Salem Village. Green tried to unite the divided parishioners, who were still angry at each other about the events of the Salem Witch Trials, and he even helped afflicted girl Ann Putnam Jr write an official apology for her role in the trials in 1706.

In 1701/2, a new meetinghouse was built on the corner of Hobart and Centre Streets.

In 1708, the first school house was constructed in Salem Village.

From 1717 to 1768, Peter Clark served as the minister at Salem Village and, in 1727, the Clarke House, a Colonial Saltbox house, was built by Peter Hobart for his son-in-law Reverend Peter Clark, on Hobart Street.

In 1752, Danvers was established as a separate district from Salem and was renamed Danvers, in honor of settler Danvers Osbourn.

In 1757, Danvers was incorporated as a town in the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

In 1909, the Rebecca Nurse Homestead opened as a historic house museum.

In 1970, the foundation to the Salem Village parsonage was discovered by local Danvers historian Richard Trask.

In 1975, Salem Village was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The Salem Village Historic District encompasses a collection of properties along Centre, Hobart, Ingersoll and Collins Streets as well as Brentwood Circle and Mello Parkway.

The district includes a number of historic sites and properties such as the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, the Salem Village Parsonage and etc.

In 1988, the site of the Salem Village parsonage itself was named a historic landmark.

Sources:
“Danvers Massachusetts Historical Sites.” Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project, University of Virginia, salem.lib.virginia.edu/Danvers.html
“Massachusetts Indigenous Community.” Salem Historical Society, salemhistorical.org/massachusetts-indigenous-community-resources

It provides an educational journey through the witch trials, utilizing life-sized stage sets, theatrical lighting, and narration to bring the events to life. The museum examines the social, cultural, and political context that led to the hysteria surrounding witchcraft in the late 17th century. In addition to these historical attractions, the Witch Village boasts various shops specializing in witchcraft, magic, and New Age practices. Visitors can explore stores offering a wide range of products such as crystals, tarot cards, spell books, and unique one-of-a-kind trinkets. Local artisans and vendors often have their creations on display, showcasing the rich creativity and craftsmanship of the Salem community. While the Witch Village is certainly known for its witch trials history, it offers more than just its past identity. The village is also home to an array of modern-day restaurants, cafes, and art galleries. Visitors can indulge in delicious seafood, enjoy live music, explore local talent and artwork, or simply soak in the captivating atmosphere of this vibrant village. The Witch Village in Salem, Massachusetts, serves as a reminder of a dark chapter in American history. However, it has transformed over time into a place that celebrates and educates visitors about this captivating period. With its historical sites, unique shops, and vibrant atmosphere, the Witch Village is a must-visit destination for those interested in history, culture, and the mysterious world of witchcraft..

Reviews for "Salem's Witch Village: Where History and the Supernatural Converge"

1. Julia - 2/5 - I was really excited to visit Witch Village Salem, as I had heard so many great things about it. Unfortunately, I was left quite disappointed. Firstly, the village itself was much smaller than I expected, with only a few shops and attractions. The prices were also quite high for what was being offered. Secondly, the staff seemed disinterested and not very welcoming. They didn't provide much information about the history or the witch trials, which was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit. Overall, I felt like Witch Village Salem was a letdown and not worth the hype.

2. Mike - 1/5 - I had high hopes for Witch Village Salem, but it turned out to be a complete waste of time and money. The village was lacking in atmosphere and seemed more like a tourist trap than an authentic representation of Salem's witch history. The attractions were poorly maintained and outdated. Additionally, the staff was unfriendly and unhelpful, which only added to the disappointment. I would advise anyone interested in the Salem witch trials to skip Witch Village Salem and explore other, more reputable options in the area.

3. Sarah - 2/5 - Witch Village Salem had the potential to be a great experience, but it fell short in many aspects. The overall organization and flow of the village were confusing, with no clear direction on where to start or what to see. The exhibits and presentations were lackluster and seemed outdated. I was hoping for a more immersive and educational experience, but instead, I felt like I was walking through a cheap Halloween-themed attraction. It's a shame because Salem has such a rich history, and it had the potential to be a great destination for those interested in witchcraft and the trials. Witch Village Salem needs a major revamp to live up to its potential.

4. Jeff - 2/5 - I found Witch Village Salem to be underwhelming overall. The village itself felt cramped and overcrowded, making it difficult to fully enjoy the attractions. The exhibits were poorly lit, making it hard to see the displays properly. Additionally, some of the staff members were quite rude and seemed more interested in chatting amongst themselves than assisting visitors. For the price of admission, I expected a more well-maintained and engaging experience. I would recommend exploring other historical sites in Salem instead of wasting your time and money at Witch Village Salem.

The Witches of Salem Village, MA: A Dark History Unveiled