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Despite its rich maritime heritage and twee appearance Salem harbours a dark past – that of the notorious Salem Witch Trails of 1692.
It’s a shame that such a genteel and attractive little town is mostly known for one terrible episode in its illustrious history, a little like the monkey hangers of Hartlepool perhaps. But the stigma of the Salem Witch Trails of 1692, which led to the deaths of 18 people and the imprisonment of 250, provides big business for the town – especially during Halloween. The local football team are nicknamed ‘The Witches’, while logo’s depicting a witch riding a broomstick don the cars of the local police and the masthead of Salem’s local newspaper.
The Salem Witch Museum in the town is its most popular attraction, an audio-visual presentation outlining the history and events of the infamous witch trails. Strangely there is also an exhibit on Wicca, which since 1958 has been a recognised religion in the US. Who said American’s don’t do irony…
Along with the Witch Museum, there’s the Salem Witch House (which once belonged to the trail judge Jonathan Corwin), the Witch Dungeon with live re-enactments of the witch trails and a terrifying tour of the dungeon and a waxwork Witch Village. While throughout the town is an assortment of New Age boutiques offering spooky trinket tat and tarot card reading services. But to be fair, there is much more to Salem than witches.
Salem was founded in 1626 by a company of fishermen from Cape Ann, before the settlement was incorporated into the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629. During the American Revolution the port was a centre for ‘privateering’, and by the 18th century Salem was one of the largest cities in North America and a world renowned seaport with extensive trading links stretching from the West Indies to China.
A visit to the Peabody Essex Museum is an absolute must, it’s America’s oldest continuing museum and one of New England’s largest, outlining the rich maritime heritage of Salem with over 2 million art works. Among the museum’s works is a youthful portrait of Salem’s most famous son, Nathaniel Hawthorne, by Charles Osgood in 1840.
The novelist Hawthorne was born in Salem on Independence Day 1804, and worked as overseer of Salem port between 1846 and 1849. Hawthorne set The Scarlet Letter and the House of the Seven Gables in his hometown. The house still stands today and visitors are given guided tours around this and the house the writer was born in next door.
Like the Freedom Trail in Boston, Salem has a marked heritage trail throughout the city, passing by its landmarks and attractions - just follow the red line.
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