Salem, Massachusetts
The Salem witch trials...one of the most famous examples of complete insanity amongst the utterly repressed.
I have always found the history of this place interesting. I read "The Crucible" in high school, and did some reading up on the Internet. And true to my travel habits, I searched on my Kindle for a book that would be appropriate for the day trip to Salem. "A Break with Charity" tells the story of the witch trials from the perspective of a girl who desperately wants to be in the inner circle of the girls who are accusing the "witches".
Actually, the witch trials is a very sad story. Young girls were manipulated, 19 innocent people were killed. Although a mystique has built up around the witch trials, I found the monuments to the accused people who were eventually hung (with the exception of one who was pressed to death under a rock) the most touching part of our storytelling tour. The words of the accused in their various trials were carved into the rocks, only their words were cut off...to represent their lack of justice in real life. Their stories were never listened to, their cries of innocence went unheard.
Now in Salem there is only one standing building that even has anything to do with the witch trials, and it is simply a house that one of the trial judges lived in...nothing more. But they gave it a kitschy name (The Witch House) and it is pretty cool looking.
Actually, the majority of the events surrounding the witch hysteria, including the secret stories of voodoo told by a woman from Barbados to the young girls, the visions of ghosts, and the accusations occurred in Salem-town. This is where these people actually lived. I found it interesting that the tourism is directed toward Salem. But Danvers, the modern day name for Salem-town, is where most of the historical buildings are located.
Being the adventurer I am, I wanted to trek there, even though it was after dark and we were tired from a long day of road-tripping. The house pictured below is where a lot of the "spectral visions" occurred. It is also where the accused were initially questioned. I have to admit even I felt something not good around here. My sis and I didn't stick around very long...just enough to take a couple of pictures. The house is for sale, in case you are interested!
I have always found the history of this place interesting. I read "The Crucible" in high school, and did some reading up on the Internet. And true to my travel habits, I searched on my Kindle for a book that would be appropriate for the day trip to Salem. "A Break with Charity" tells the story of the witch trials from the perspective of a girl who desperately wants to be in the inner circle of the girls who are accusing the "witches".
Actually, the witch trials is a very sad story. Young girls were manipulated, 19 innocent people were killed. Although a mystique has built up around the witch trials, I found the monuments to the accused people who were eventually hung (with the exception of one who was pressed to death under a rock) the most touching part of our storytelling tour. The words of the accused in their various trials were carved into the rocks, only their words were cut off...to represent their lack of justice in real life. Their stories were never listened to, their cries of innocence went unheard.
Now in Salem there is only one standing building that even has anything to do with the witch trials, and it is simply a house that one of the trial judges lived in...nothing more. But they gave it a kitschy name (The Witch House) and it is pretty cool looking.
Actually, the majority of the events surrounding the witch hysteria, including the secret stories of voodoo told by a woman from Barbados to the young girls, the visions of ghosts, and the accusations occurred in Salem-town. This is where these people actually lived. I found it interesting that the tourism is directed toward Salem. But Danvers, the modern day name for Salem-town, is where most of the historical buildings are located.Being the adventurer I am, I wanted to trek there, even though it was after dark and we were tired from a long day of road-tripping. The house pictured below is where a lot of the "spectral visions" occurred. It is also where the accused were initially questioned. I have to admit even I felt something not good around here. My sis and I didn't stick around very long...just enough to take a couple of pictures. The house is for sale, in case you are interested!
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