In January 2023, the Peabody Essex Museum’s Phillips Library returned 527 Salem witch trials (SWT) documents to the Judicial Archives at the Massachusetts State Archives facility in Boston. Established in 1692 after the dismissal of the Court of Oyer and …
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.
In 1799, Salem ship captains created a research library that—over 200 years and numerous mergers later—became the world-renowned Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum. For many years, the collection had its home in the stately Plummer Hall on Essex …
Why go to Rowley? Salem’s PEM research library of course Read more »
There’s a certain charm in old travel books. I read them to learn about houses and objects that have disappeared or have since been hidden from view. Take, for example, The Book of Boston by Robert Shackleton (1860-1923). One hundred …
A tribute to the Essex Institute—and Mary English’s chair Read more »
For the 300th anniversary of the Salem witch trials, the Peabody Essex Museum created the Days of Judgement: Salem in 1692 exhibit and video. On display were original trial documents along with artifacts belonging to some people involved in the …
Teaching the everyday & the extraordinary: Salem in 1692 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 »
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 »