Imagine a world in which political leaders retire gracefully after electoral defeat, in which voting rights are expanded, not restricted, where there’s free and vigorous debate. Welcome to 17th century New England, where the Puritan colonists developed, for the majority …

‘No Common weale but by Common Consent’: Governance in Puritan New England Read More »

Massachusetts Bay began executing people for witchcraft in Boston almost 50 years before the Salem Witch Trials, including in Dorchester, Cambridge, and Charlestown. These executions are much lesser-known, totaling fewer than half the number that took place in Salem in …

In Distemper She Died: The Real Victims of Boston’s 17th Century Witch Trials Read More »

Dates: October 5, 12, 19, 26; November 2; Saturdays at 10 am Salem is where people visit to learn about the 1692 witchcraft trials, but Salem Village (present-day Danvers) is where it first began, and where many of the leading …

Salem Village Witch-Hunt Walking Tour Read More »

An alcohol-free, 17th-century tavern-like experience for kids and their grown ups. Experience the music, dances, games, and spooky stories of New England's past with your in-costume, in-character guides. Feel free to dress up for the time-travel! Local harvest treats will …

History Alive Inc. presents: Kids’ Pub Read More »

Epoch Preservation, Inc recently completed two full gravestone restoration projects in Peabody.  Come hear stories from their work at Old South Burying Ground and Emerson Cemetery. Members free; non-members $5.

Dry Tinder is a historical novel based on the true story of the Towne sisters—three innocent, godly women who are falsely accused of witchcraft in 1692. It offers a new perspective, as the narrative starts in 1670, a full 22 …

Dry Tinder: A Tale of Rivalry and Injustice in Salem Village Read More »

An up-close and creepy examination of all things funereal. The Witches & Tombstones Tour begins at the Isaac Stevens House with the wake of young Henry Stevens, who died at the age of three. Guests will learn about 19th-century mourning practices, …

Witches and Tombstones Tour Read More »

Multiple screenings: 1 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm, 7 pm The movie of Ann Foster presents an expanded story with talk-back after each presentation with the author and producer, Lori Prescott Hansen. This program is co-sponsored by the North Andover …

I Be a Witch: a film about Ann Foster Read More »

In early New England, magic was used to protect houses and generally ward off evil—horseshoes over doors, shoes buried in walls by fireplaces, hexafoils by doors, and witches bottles. In this talk, archeologist Tad Baker discusses this practice, including evidence …

Countermagic and Protective Magic in Early New England Read More »

An up-close and creepy examination of all things funereal. The Witches & Tombstones Tour begins at the Isaac Stevens House with the wake of young Henry Stevens, who died at the age of three. Guests will learn about 19th-century mourning practices, …

Witches and Tombstones Tour Read More »