Sometimes you’re so sure your ancestor is buried in a certain cemetery, but you can’t find any proof. Unfortunately, someone went too far. Besides the obvious lines to keep the lettering straight, you can tell by the B, the Y, …

No ‘memento mori’ for Mary Read more »

The Supreme Judicial Court celebrated its 325th anniversary in Salem in January 2018. Previously known as the Superior Court of Judicature, this high court took over after the Court of Oyer and Terminer was dismissed by Governor William Phips in …

Treasures of the court house 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 Salem of today is a vibrant city—upbeat, artsy, multicultural, progressive. That vibrancy comes from people who are willing to make their world a little better. Take, for example, Caroline Emmerton (1866-1942) who not only preserved the House of the …

Salem: The perils of denial in an age of preservation 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 »

An international art, architectural, and cultural museum, the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem started as the East India Marine Society in 1799. Through mergers of several societies, the museum grew from seafaring treasures to include local history, nature, and science collections. Most of …

A ‘temporary’ move now permanent? Salem’s archives remain offsite Read more »