SALEM VILLAGE PARSONAGE

The Town of Danvers is directly adjacent to the city of Salem, and it was formerly known as Salem Village: the place where the Salem Witch Trials were sparked in 1692. Modern day Salem, was Salem Town, where the trials and hearings took place. If you live here, or if you visit the North Shore and come see these places for yourself, what is interesting is the stark contrast between the two places regarding the memory of the Witch Trials. Salem goes a little overboard. It has commodified the Witch Trials like an amusement park, whereas Danvers shows almost no signs of the event (it even changed its name from Salem Village to Danvers in 1752). 

If you drive through Salem you will see historical locations and memorials associated with the Witch Trials. For example, there is the Witch House, the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin who participated in the trials, where you can take a self guided tour. There is also the The House of Seven Gables, sometimes just called the Hawthorne House (which is my personal favorite), this has no direct ties to the events themselves, but is the home of Nathanial Hawthorne who was a descendent of John Hathorne (one of the lead judges in the Witch Trials) and author of the House of Seven Gables. Hawthorne likely changed the spelling of his name to draw attention away from this association. There are also many more questionable locations like the Salem Witch Museum, which is one part hammer studio style wax figure re-enactment of the Witch Trials, one part Wicca shop. A lot of people incorrectly tie the witches of Salem to modern day Wicca but there is no evidence for this. Those accused, with the possible exception of Tituba who was from Barbados*, were Christians who locals believed to be classic witches (those who made pacts with the Devil and signed his book in exchange for power). There are also countless guided ghost tours, psychic studios, and more. It has become a hub for people interested in the paranormal. There is even a statue dedicated to the TV show Bewitched (which was quite controversial when it was installed). During October, so many people come to Salem that it creates traffic in all the surrounding communities. Halloween is a month long celebration in Salem. 

In Danvers you could drive through and have no idea that this is where the Witch Trials began. In fact, if you did know, and wanted to see some of the sights, you would have a very hard time finding any of them without local guidance. A good example of this is the Salem Village Parsonage, which is where me and my friends went for a recent visit. 

Not only is the parsonage the house where the events of the witch trials started, it wasn't even uncovered physically until 1970. Built in 1681, it served as the home of Salem Village's ministers. Salem was notoriously quarrelsome and appointing a minister apparently took some effort and was divisive. They chose Samuel Parris in 1689 after going through three ministers in quick succession. In 1692, this is where Samuel Parris was residing whenhis daughter Betty Paris, and Abigail Williams, his niece, suffered fits that led to accusations of witchcraft. They accused Tituba*, a Barbadian slave owned by Parris. They also accused Sarah Good and Sarah Osbourne of witchcraft. From there the panic spread to other parts of Essex County, leading to over 200 accusations, 30 convictions, and 20 executions, with 19 hangings and one unfortunate soul, Giles Corey, being pressed to death by rocks and boulders placed on top of a wooden board (a very slow process). 

Today the parsonage is nearly impossible to find. All that remains are small stone cellar foundations and to reach it you must walk between two houses on a residential streets. It is tucked away where you could walk by and have no idea it is there. 

Not far from here, still in Danvers, you can find the remains of Danvers State Hospital, which was the basis for Arkham Asylum. Now it is just apartments, but a portion of the central building remains standing (see above). It has very striking Gothic Revival red brick, which you see quite a bit of here (a number of churches were done in this style). 

There are other spots in the area to visit in Danvers, like the Rebecca Nurse Homestead (which was unfortunately closed at the time of year I made this visit). 

*My understanding is it isn't known what religion she believed in, but she did confess (which some say means she didn't have the fear of hell those who didn't confess had). She also may have been Native American. A lot about her is debated or unknown. She was imprisoned for a year but her case was ultimately dismissed and what became of her after that is unclear.