Andover Bewitched: Walk Through the 17th Century
Here are six historic sites around Massachusetts that you can visit to learn more about the 1692 witch trials.
In the previous entry of “Andover Bewitched,” I spoke about the memorials to those who died during the witch trials in 1692. As I wrote, I came across several other sites that witch trial enthusiasts might be curious to visit. So, without further ado, here is a list of six historic places around Danvers, North Andover, and Salem that you can visit to learn more about the trials and life in the seventeenth century…
Danvers
Foundation of the Salem Village Parsonage
67 Centre Street, Danvers, MA
This small archaeological site features the foundation of a house where the witch trials began. The Parsonage was home to Samuel and Elizabeth Parris, and their children, Thomas, Betty, and Susannah Parris. Abigail Williams also lived here, as well as two enslaved people: Tituba and John Indian.
In 1692, Betty and Abigail both began having fits, which the family believed were caused by a witch. As the affliction continued without any sign of a cure, the family began searching for who might be cursing their children, setting off the 1692 witch trials.
Today, all that remains of the Parsonage is the foundation and basement. It was labelled as a Historic Landmark in 1988 after it was uncovered in the 1970s. If you visit the Parsonage, don’t forget to stop by the nearby Witchcraft Victims’ Memorial, also in Danvers.1
The Rebecca Nurse Homestead
149 Pine St, Danvers, MA
Rebecca Nurse was one of the twenty people executed for practicing witchcraft. Her homestead is the only home of a person executed during the trials that is open to the public and still standing. There is a small “saltbox” style house on the property and the Nurse Family Cemetery. According to the family, Rebecca Nurse was secretly buried here.
Rebecca Nurse was born in England and traveled to the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a young woman. She married another colonist, Francis Nurse, and settled in Salem Village (modern day Danvers). Together they had several children, and were well-respected among the town. At age 71, Rebecca Nurse sat on trial for practicing witchcraft.2
Despite the support of many community members who even spoke out at her trial on her behalf, Nurse was ultimately sentenced to death and executed on July 19, 1692.
The Nurse Homestead offers tours of the house and grounds, including a posthumous monument erected in Rebecca Nurse’s honor.3
North Andover
The Parson Barnard House
178 Osgood St, North Andover, MA
A little closer to home is the Parson Barnard House in North Andover. The Parson Barnard House is also erroneously known as the Bradstreet House. Barnard purchased the land from Simon Bradstreet, one of the original founders of Andover, though Bradstreet never lived on it himself.4
The house was built in 1715, over twenty years after the witch trials ended. However, it was built by Reverend Thomas Barnard, a key figure in the witch trials.5 Barnard’s original house, which was the town’s official parsonage, burned in 1707. This house became the de facto parsonage even though Barnard had built it for himself – several ministers occupied the house after his death.
Barnard’s arrival in Andover sparked tension with the current pastor, Francis Dane. For months, the two disagreed on the use of spectral evidence in the trials, until finally, Dane successfully swayed Barnard’s opinion.
You can take a tour of the house with the North Andover Historical Society and see certain rooms set up as they might have been in the early eighteenth century.6
Old North Parish Burying Ground
31-99 Academy Rd, North Andover, MA
While visiting the Parson Barnard House, you may also stop by the First Burial Ground. This cemetery was established in about 1650 – soon after the original town of Andover was established. Today, most of what was once the center of Andover is now North Andover. This cemetery would have been near the heart of the town, close to the church meeting house. It is the final resting place for several of the Andover residents who were involved in the witch trials.
If you visit the cemetery, you could stop by the markers for William Barker Sr. and William Barker Jr. When fourteen-year-old William Barker Jr. was put on trial, he quickly began accusing his neighbors, adding fuel to the hysteria — and the court’s belief that there was a witchcraft epidemic in town.7 William Barker Jr. was eventually pronounced ‘not guilty’ and released from jail. He died in 1745 at age 67.
You could also visit the marker for Moses Tyler, the patriarch of the Tyler family who was involved in the search for witches even before 1692. Read about Job Tyler here, and the rest of the Tyler family here.
Salem
The House of the Seven Gables
115 Derby St, Salem, MA
This stop on your trip through historical witch trials sites in Massachusetts might be a little bit unusual. The House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts was built in 1668 as a large colonial mansion for Captain John Turner. The house became famous after Nathaniel Hawthorne published a novel in 1851, The House of the Seven Gables, about the building and its odd gable architecture.8
Though the house itself and its residents were not significantly involved in the witch trials, the house’s builder was. It appears that Samuel Wardwell constructed this house for John Turner, probably working with a larger team.9 Wardwell was a carpenter who had apprenticed in Salem before moving to Andover.
Samuel’s story is sad – he was accused and eventually convicted for practicing witchcraft. He was hanged on September 22 with several others for the crime of witchcraft that he did not commit.10
We no longer have Samuel’s house, nor even definitive evidence of its precise location, but we can still see evidence of his life and work in the House of the Seven Gables.
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Jonathan Corwin House
310 1/2 Essex Street, Salem, MA
Finally, to round out your Massachusetts witch trials historic sites, the Corwin House in Salem, MA features tours and stories of Judge Jonathan Corwin. This is one of the few sites in Salem with direct ties to the trials that is still standing and is open to the public.
Judge Corwin’s house was built in 1675, and he lived there in 1692 when he helped preside over the witch trials. Though he was not the only judge involved, he was one of the leaders of the special court. Corwin was especially relentless in his pursuit of the accused and never issued an apology for his involvement.11
The house was preserved beginning in 1944. You can visit the house today to take accompanied or self-guided tours and delve into the seventeenth-century world of the witch trials.
It’s a short walk from the Corwin House to Burying Point Cemetery and the Salem Witch Trials Memorial to get even more history. You can read about both of these in my post from last week!
What other sites have you visited? Do you have any other suggestions? Drop them in the comments – I would love to hear from you.
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– Toni
Many thanks to Alyssa Pelletier who suggested this site — and brought me to visit!
Simon Bradstreet was a key figure in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Read his story, and that of Justice Dudley Bradstreet, here.
Sarah and Samuel Wardwell lived in Andover on a small property near the South part of town. Though the location of their house is not known, the Salem Witch Museum suggests a location near Highland Road and Rogers Brook.