Confessions of accused witches, part 1
Tituba's testimony, 1692
Tony Fels and Margo Burns discuss the meaning of the 1692 Salem witch-hunt confessions.
Category: History
Traditional Understanding Overshadows Academic Explanations at Rebecca Nurse Commemoration
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 …
Creating a spectacle at Proctor’s Ledge
Giles Corey pressed to death. Unknown artist.
Giles Corey’s punishment during the Salem witch trials.
Richard Francis: From Sewall biographer to Salem witch trials storyteller
No doubt Samuel Sewall never anticipated his private diaries would be widely read and quoted by historians and others interested in the minutiae of his life. As a family man, merchant, and part-time judge, Sewall faced common challenges that rocked …
Richard Francis: From Sewall biographer to Salem witch trials storyteller Read more »
Pirates, a prelude to the Salem witch trials
Massachusetts Bay Colony had numerous issues with pirates, from Dixey Bull to Blackbeard. During the interim (post-Andros, pre-Phips) government, the Court of Assistants ruled on a piracy case involving several men from Salem. The final verdicts would reverberate throughout the …
An interview with Professor Emerson W. Baker, part 5
Viewing 17th century beliefs and witchcraft and through modern eyes.
An interview with Professor Emerson W. Baker, part 4
Cotton Mather wrote the only government-approved book about the Salem witch trials.
Governor Phips created one of the first large-scale government coverups in American history by curbing free speech.
An interview with Professor Emerson W. Baker, part 3
Proctor's Ledge
Professor Emerson W. Baker on Salem’s dark tourism and his hope for historical reflection.
An interview with Professor Emerson W. Baker, part 2
Professor Emerson W. Baker on the way Danvers, Massachusetts, honored the victims of the 1692 Salem witch trials.