Charter Street Cemetery, Salem, Massachusetts, photo by Frank Cousins

After the major restoration work on headstones, box tombs, and landscaping at the Charter Street Cemetery, Salem, Massachusetts, let’s look back at this historic burying ground through the photos of Frank Cousins, circa 1890-1920.

Examination of George Burroughs

A conversation between Tony Fels and Margo Burns about the confessions during the Salem witch trials. Read the original post, part 1, part 2, and part 3. Margo Burns responds: Tony: Thanks for your thoughtful reply, but I still don’t accept …

Confessions of accused witches, part 4 Read more »

Indictment v. Candy for afflicting Mary Walcott

A conversation between Tony Fels and Margo Burns about the confessions during the Salem witch trials. Read the original post, part 1, and part 2. Tony Fels responds. Margo, I’m afraid you have posited a straw argument concerning the confessors …

Confessions of accused witches, part 3 Read more »

Ann Foster examination, 1692

A conversation between Tony Fels and Margo Burns about the confessions during the Salem witch trials. Read the original post and part 1. Margo Burns responds. Tony, respectfully, it’s necessary to look at the historical data more closely—per case and …

Confessions of accused witches, part 2 Read more »

By Tony Fels On June 7, 2021, the NPR show, “Here and Now,” aired a segment on the 400th birthday of Rebecca Nurse, broadcast from the Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers (formerly Salem Village), Massachusetts. Readers of Witches of Massachusetts …

Traditional Understanding Overshadows Academic Explanations at Rebecca Nurse Commemoration Read more »

Recently, Juliet Haines Mofford published a historical novel on Abigail (Dane) Faulkner, accused of witchcraft in 1692 in Andover, Massachusetts. I had some questions for the author of The Devil Made Me Do It: Crime and Punishment in Early New …

Q&A with Juliet Mofford on Abigail Accused: A Story of the Salem Witch Hunt Read more »

The year 2017 marked the 325th anniversary of the Salem witch trials in which 19 people were found guilty of witchcraft and were hanged between June and September 1692.  Lessons and legacies of 1692 symposium On June 10, the anniversary …

Salem witch trials’ 325th anniversary year in review Read more »

One of my reasons for creating the Witches of Massachusetts Bay website is to right the wrongs. Even though it’s been 325 years since the witch trials, the topic is still popular and relevant in our society. That’s why new …

Which Bishop? The one that got away Read more »