This web site is a tribute to the unfortunate victims of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Some believe that this tragic event, which took place over 300 years ago, was the result of a restrictive type of government practiced by the Massachusetts Bay Colony and new economic pressures in the Colony's towns that may have caused bitterness, aggression, and outright paranoia. The whole disaster can be traced back to Reverand Samuel Parris' daughter, niece, and slave. Betty, his daughter, and Abigail, Parris' niece, had become fascinated with voodoo and the black arts after hearing stories from Tituba, the slave. They began having fits; and when the doctor could find no reason, he declared witchcraft. Whether they truly had fits or got caught up in their lies, the girls were pressed to give names of the ones involved with the witchcraft. The accusations escalated and escalated until the situation turned into a mass frenzy.
By the end of the hysteria 4 years later, 156 people had been accused, 19 people hanged, one man pressed to death for refusing to answer to the charges, and 2 dogs hanged for supposedly making "evil eyes" at some of the town children.
For more information on the witch hunts of Salem, click on these Amazon.com links to books and other items related to the trials of 1692.
Bridget Bishop of Salem
Sarah Good of Salem Village
Rebecca Nurse of Salem Village
Susannah Martin of Amesbury
Elizabeth Howe of Ipswich
Sarah Wildes of Topsfield
George Burroughs of Wells, Maine
John Proctor of Salem Village
John Willard of Salem Village
George Jacobs, Sr. of Salem Town
Martha Carrier of Andover
Giles Corey of Salem Farms
Martha Corey of Salem Farms
Mary Eastey of Topsfield
Alice Parker of Salem town
Ann Pudeater of Salem Town
Margaret Scott of Rowley
Wilmott Reed of Marblehead
Samuel Wardwell of Andover
Mary Parker of Andover
A Break With Charity : A Story About the Salem Witch Trials
A Delusion of Satan : The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials
The Diary of Dorcas Good, Child Witch of Salem
Devil in Massachusetts : A Modern Inquiry into the Salem Witch Trials
Salem Witch Trials [Video]
Beyond the Burning Time [Video]
Links to other Salem Witch Trial Sites
Christine Huang