The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials
by Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack
Witch trials shaped colonial America, and the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 produced the largest witchcraft accusation outbreak in American history. The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials examines a different topic, person, or place connected to the Salem witch hunt each week, with witch trial descendants and experts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack joined by guest historians, authors, and researchers. At 15 minutes a week, it is one of the most focused in-depth guides to Salem witch trials history available. Also from the hosts: Salem Witch Trials Daily and The Thing About Witch Hunts.#witch
Episodes
-
Haunted History: Salem Witch Trials Ghosts
Many people claimed to see ghosts during the Salem Witch Trials. We tell some of the ghost stories reported in testimony. Ghosts were usually said to appear in their winding sheets, or burial shrouds. Sometimes 1 ghost appeared, other times hosts of ghosts visited. From cries of vengeance to…
more -
Dorcas Hoar: The Fortune Teller Spared for Her Soul's Survival
Dorcas Galley Hoar of Beverly, Massachusetts was one of the more dynamic characters caught in the 1692 witch hunt. An admitted fortune teller, Dorcas was no stranger to suspicion of witchcraft. For decades, rumors swirled around the woman and her children, who operated a theft ring in conjunction...
-
The Salem Witch Trials and Robert Eggers' The Witch
The Witch (2015) and Salem Witch Trials Testimony: Caleb’s Scene Through 1692 Court RecordsWe compare Robert Eggers’ 2015 film The Witch to 17th-century New England witchcraft folklore and the 1692 Salem Witch Trials court transcripts, showing how Caleb’s climactic deathbed scene reflects the...
-
Witch Trial Stories Across the River from Salem in Historic Beverly with Roger Herson
Project 1692: Beverly’s Hidden Salem Witch Trials Story with Descendant Tour Guide Roger Herson Crowds flood Salem, Massachusetts each October, but across the river, Beverly holds key Salem Witch Trials history—home to Reverend John Hale’s later writing and to figures and events often mislabeled…
more -
Confessions and Tragedy: The Andover Witch Hunt
Andover’s Witch Hunt: Coerced Confessions, Family Betrayals, and the Touch Test 45 of the total 150–200 accused witches in the Salem Trials came from a single town that bordered Salem—Andover, where nearly 10% of the town population was accused of witchcraft and a lethal rumor spread: confess and...
-
Ann Putnam's Apology with Writer and TV Producer Tom Phillips and Dr. Hogan Sherrow
Why Did Ann Putnam Jr. Accuse? Evolutionary Behavioral Reconstruction and the Human Story Behind SalemWe welcome producer-director Tom Phillips and evolutionary anthropologist Dr. Hogan Sherrow to explore the psychological research informing Phillips’ project Aftermath and to confront a question...
-
Salem Witch Trial Descendants at History Camp Boston, Connecticut Witch and Culture Fest, and Salem
New England Pilgrimage: Salem Witch Trials Sites, History Camp Boston, and Connecticut Witch & Culture Fest We share highlights from our New England trip for The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials, including visiting key Salem Village and Danvers sites with our colleague Mary Louise Bingham…
more -
What Historic Records are Available from the Salem Witch Trials?
Where the Salem Witch Trials Records Really Come From (and What’s Missing) We dig into the biggest surprise at the heart of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials: the official Court of Oyer and Terminer record book is gone, and what people call “trial records” are mostly pretrial examinations, warrants,...
-
Salem Witch Trials: Witchfinder Roger Toothaker and His Family
The Toothaker Family: Folk Magic, Witchfinding, and Tragedy in the Salem Witch TrialsA folk healer known as “Dr. Toothaker,” Roger Toothaker was the only male healer/physician accused of witchcraft in 17th-century New England, and his story pulls our Salem Witch Trials podcast into a web of...
-
Anatomy of a Witch Trial: The Case Against Bridget Bishop
We dig into original Salem Witch Trials documents to map, step by step, how Bridget Bishop moved from first mention to execution—and how “evidence” worked in 1692. Using the arrest warrant (April 18, 1692), competing examination records by Ezekiel Cheever and Samuel Parris, and a trail of...
-
Bridget Bishop: The First Person Executed in the Salem Witch Trials
Step into Salem in 1692 as we follow Bridget Bishop from her life in Salem Town to the courtroom that condemned her. She was the first person executed in the Salem Witch Trials, convicted on testimony about specters, poppets, an “unnatural mark,” and long-running neighborhood quarrels—despite...
-
Salem Witch Trials Court: How the Court of Oyer and Terminer Worked in 1692
Why did the 1692 Salem witch trials require an entirely new court, and how did that court reach a 100 percent conviction rate? This episode examines the Court of Oyer and Terminer, the special tribunal that prosecuted witchcraft accusations across colonial Massachusetts, and lays out the legal...
-
Salem Witch Trials Governor Sir William Phips: America's First Knight
William Phips was the last person anyone should have trusted with one of the most consequential legal crises in American history. No formal education. No legal training. No political experience. The man who put him in charge of Massachusetts was Increase Mather, the most powerful Puritan minister...
-
American Revolution: How Families of Salem Witch Trials Victims and Accusers United for Independence
From Witch Trials to Revolution: Salem Village on the Front Lines We connect Salem’s darkest legacy to the opening clash of American independence with historian Dan Gagnon, Danvers resident and author of A Salem Witch: A Biography of Rebecca Nurse. Our conversation brings the Revolution into the...
-
Walpurgis Night, Salem Witchcraft, and the Maypole at Merrymount
Every April 30, bonfires burn across Europe on the same night witches were said to gather on a mountaintop and make their covenant with the devil. That image did not stay in Europe. It crossed the Atlantic, embedded itself in colonial New England theology and law, and by 1692 it was being sworn…
more -
When ESPN Covered the Salem Witch Trials: Ergot Theory at 50
ESPN has a history podcast, and they used it to cover the Salem Witch Trials on the 50th anniversary of the ergot theory. Hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, descendants of Salem Witch Trial victims, respond to Stupiracy's April 2nd episode on whether moldy rye bread caused the accusations of...
-
Salem Witch Trials Judge Coerces Confessions from Teens: The April 19, 1692 Story
On April 19, 1692, Salem witch trials magistrates conducted their busiest day of examinations yet. Four accused witches appeared before the court in colonial Massachusetts. Two confessions were recorded. And the Puritan legal proceedings that would lead to nineteen executions shifted into a...
-
Salem Witch Trials Survivor: Sarah Cloyce's Story
What does the American Red Cross have to do with the Salem Witch Trials? The answer runs through one of the most defiant women of 1692. Sarah Cloyce was the youngest of the three Towne sisters, the sibling who survived when Rebecca Nurse and Mary Easty did not. Born in Salem in 1642, Sarah lived…
more -
Salem Witch Trials: Was Mercy Lewis the Ringleader of the Afflicted Girls?
She accused 16 people, was named a victim in 13 indictments, and may have been the most powerful force driving the Salem witch trials of 1692. So why does history overlook Mercy Lewis? What You'll Learn Why some historians consider Mercy Lewis the ringleader among the afflicted girls How…
more -
Witchcraft, UFOs, and Blood Pudding: Salem Witch Trials Daily April 4, 1692
Follow the events of April 4, 1692, as new testimony and complaints target recent suspects. We cover a reported spectral attack involving the shape of John Proctor afflicting Abigail Williams, then dig into multiple depositions against Rachel Clinton, including claims of meetinghouse…
more -
Were the Afflicted Girls Faking? Salem Witch Trials Daily April 3, 1692
We explore a striking claim from within the crisis itself: that the afflicted may have been “dissembling.” We revisit Sunday, April 3, 1692, when Samuel Parris read aloud a note Mary Warren had posted at the Salem Village meetinghouse, inviting the congregation to offer prayers of gratitude for…
more -
Abigail Williams is Afflicted and Mary Warren is Not Afflicted Anymore: Salem Witch Trials Daily April 2, 1692
In today’s Salem Witch Trials Daily, we walk through Saturday, April 2, 1692, focusing on Abigail Williams’ claims that the specters of Elizabeth Procter and Rebecca Nurse repeatedly afflicted her in March and April, including being “grievously pinched” and tempted with fine things to sign the...
-
Mercy Lewis takes a Trip to Heaven: Salem Witch Trials Daily April 1, 1692
In our April 1, 1692 episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we explore how the afflictions continue to mislead people in Salem and nearby communities through the reported testimony of Mercy Lewis. We recount her vivid description of being taken to a “glorious place” filled with light, where she saw…
more -
Abigail Williams and the Witches’ Sabbath
Fast Day in Salem: Prayer, Fasting, and Abigail Williams’ Witch Feast Vision In this episode, we follow Thursday, March 31, 1692, as Salem observes a Puritan fast day while Abigail Williams reports seeing about 40 witches feasting near the Salem Village parsonage of minister Samuel Parris and...
-
A Milk-stealing Witch Magically Turns into a Cat, a Hellhound Stubs His Toe, and Men Threaten to Murder a Woman
In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we cover Wednesday, March 30, 1692, when Rachel Clinton—arrested the day before—was slated for examination, though no record of that hearing survives. We focus on three depositions made against her that day: Thomas Burnam Jr. describes watching for a...
-
Salem Witch Trials Daily Takes You through the 1692 Witch-hunt One Day at a Time
We are so happy to introduce Salem Witch Trials Daily, our new podcast that follows the 1692 Salem Witch Trials in real time, day by day, court date by court date, through the documented record. In Salem, Massachusetts, 19 people were executed, one man was pressed to death for refusing trial, and...
-
The Devil's Conspiracy: How Fear of a Demonic Plot Made the Salem Witch Trials Possible
The Salem witch trials of 1692 were not driven by local grudges alone. Behind the arrests, examinations, and executions was a centuries-old theological framework that convinced educated elites, magistrates, and Puritan clergy that they were fighting a coordinated demonic war against the Christian...
-
Samuel Parris Preaches that Christ Knows How Many Devils There are in the Church
On Sunday, March 27, 1692, Reverend Samuel Parris led Salem Village through two Sabbath services shaped by the recent “dreadful witchcraft” crisis and the public suspicion of alleged witches. We cover how his sermon warned that Christ knows how many devils are in the church, prompting Sarah...
-
4-Year-Old Witchcraft Suspect Confesses to Having a Familiar
We revisit Mercy Lewis’s reported afflictions and connect them to later depositions involving Elizabeth Proctor and Martha Cory. We also discuss a pivotal event recorded by former Salem Village minister Deodat Lawson in A Brief and True Narrative, describing how magistrates John Hathorne and...
-
John Procter Gets Pissed, Ann Putnam Jr Gets Pinched, and Samuel Parris Rebukes Mary Sibley
Note: We are moving these daily episodes to a new Salem Witch Trials Daily podcast. In this episode, we dig into Friday, March 25, 1692, as tensions surge in Salem Village and beyond. We discuss John Procter’s furious confrontation with Samuel Sibley at Walter Phillips’ Tavern over Mary Warren’s...
-
Deodat Lawson Dumps Fuel on the Raging Fire that is the Salem Witch Trials
In this episode, we revisit Thursday, March 24, 1692, when Salem Village’s packed meetinghouse witnessed chaotic examinations that sent Rebecca Nurse and the very young Dorothy Good toward jail. We follow how accusations and courtroom theatrics escalated under Magistrates Hathorne and Corwin…
more -
Ann Putnam Wrestles a Specter
In this March 22, 1692 episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we cover a Salem town meeting that resolves long-running tension between Salem and Salem Village by keeping the Village part of Salem while easing obligations on both sides: villagers no longer support the town’s ministers or maintain…
more -
The Devil's Library: The Books That Shaped the Demonic Pact Found in the Salem Witch Trials
Episode Summary The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 didn't emerge from nowhere. They emerged from a library. This episode traces the centuries of theological and legal texts that shaped how Salem's magistrates understood witchcraft, the demonic pact, and the infamous Devil's book. From a 15th-century...
-
Benjamin Franklin's Aunt Throws a Shoe at Witchcraft Suspect Martha Cory
We cover March 21, 1692, when Joseph Herrick arrests Martha Cory and notices an unusual ointment in her home that she says came from a recipe given by magistrate Major Bartholomew Gedney. We follow Cory to the packed Salem Village meetinghouse, where Nicholas Noyes opens with prayer and…
more -
Specters and Afflicted People Disrupt Church Service in Salem Village
In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we revisit March 20, 1692, when guest preacher Deodat Lawson delivered a sermon in Salem Village and later described the day in A Brief and True Narrative. We share who Lawson observed attending the meeting, including several of the “afflicted…
more -
Salem Witch Trials: Abigail Williams Tries to Fly
We cover March 19, 1692, when Henry Kinney and Edward Putnam file a witchcraft complaint against Martha Corey for allegedly afflicting several Salem Village residents, leading magistrates to issue a warrant for her arrest and examination at Nathaniel Ingersoll’s tavern. We also follow reports…
more -
March 18, 1692: A Specter Kills a Girl, but then She Wakes Up
In today’s March 18, 1692 episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we recount renewed spectral activity in Salem Village as Ann Putnam Senior describes being attacked and pressured to sign a book by the specter of Martha Corey while trying to rest. We also shift to Ipswich, where late-night fears of...
-
Saint Patrick's Day: New England's Ties to Ireland
In this St. Patrick’s Day episode, we explore overlooked trans-Atlantic links between Ireland and Colonial New England that helped shape the intellectual and theological foundations of the 1692 Salem Witch-Hunt, drawing on Katherine A. Hermes and Beth M. Caruso’s article on Thomas Thornton and…
more -
The Porter Family of Salem Village
In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we examine the Porter family’s extraordinary wealth and political influence in Salem Village and how it shaped their experience of the 1692 witch trials and their aftermath. We discuss patriarch John Porter Sr.’s massive estate and how his sons became...
-
Salem Witch Trials: Specters of Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse Roam Salem Village
It’s March 15, 1692, and specters are reported to roam Salem Village and torment the afflicted. We discuss claims involving Martha Cory and Elizabeth Hubbard, including testimony about the devil’s book, and we recount disturbing reports tied to the specter of Rebecca Nurse at the Salem Village...
-
Podcasthon: When Children are Accused of Witchcraft
This special Podcasthon 2026 episode of The Thing About Salem brings together two stories separated by more than three centuries. Hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack share a clip from End Witch Hunts' International Women's Day panel featuring Maimunat Mohammad, a woman from Niger State, Nigeria,...
-
Salem Witch Trials: Pandemonium at the Putnam Place
In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we examine March 14, 1692, a pivotal and chaotic day at the Putnam household when Martha Corey—unusually, a covenanted church member—arrives at the Putnams’ invitation in an effort to prove her innocence. Using depositions and testimony, including…
more -
March 13, 1692: Church Members Accused of Witchcraft
In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we revisit Sunday, March 13, 1692, as Salem Village gathers at the meetinghouse and extraordinary claims disrupt worship after Samuel Parris begins his sermon, including an incident involving Bathsheba Pope and Martha Corey’s alleged specter. We also...
-
March 12, 1692: What is the Alleged Salem Witch Wearing?
In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we cover March 12, 1692, when the witch-hunt expands with an unlikely new suspect and a new accuser. Ann Putnam Jr. claims she is afflicted by Martha Corey, wife of Giles Corey, prompting Deacon Edward Putnam and Ezekiel Cheever to visit Ann and then...
-
Fasting and Prayer in Parris’s Parsonage
The nightmare in Salem Village is only just beginning. Join us, Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, as we recount the chilling events of March 11, 1692. While the first three accused women—Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne—languish in heavy iron shackles in a Boston dungeon, the terror back home...
-
Who did Colonial Voting Laws Serve?
Welcome back to Salem Witch Trials Daily. In today’s episode, we take a breath as the legal records in Salem Village go quiet for a moment. While the "machinery" of the trials has already been set in motion, March 10th, 1692, left behind no new warrants or examinations. Instead of focusing on the...
-
Salem Witch Trials: Chaining Accused Witches to Tame their Specters
In today's episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we delve into the grim reality of life behind bars for those accused of witchcraft in 1692. Following their transfer to Boston just a few days ago, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne begin to experience the true misery of 17th-century imprisonment. We...
-
Salem Selectman with roles in the Salem Witch Trials
In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we explore the intersection of local government and the unfolding crisis in 1692. As Salem held its annual town meeting, the community elected leaders who would soon find themselves on opposite sides of the prisoner bars. We also look beyond the 17th...
-
Tituba as American Cultural Figure with Samaine Lockwood
For International Women's Day and Women's History Month, The Thing About Salem takes a deep look at one of the Salem witch trials' most fascinating and misrepresented figures: Tituba Indian. Who was she, and why have writers, scholars, and storytellers kept returning to her story for two…
more -
March 7, 1692: The Salem Witch Trials accused are transferred to Boston's jail
In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we dive into the pivotal events of March 7, 1692, a day that marked a massive shift in the escalating crisis of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. We explore how the absence of stable leadership and a deep-seated spiritual dread created the perfect storm…
more
About this show
Witch trials shaped colonial America, and the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693 produced the largest witchcraft accusation outbreak in American history. The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials examines a different topic, person, or place connected to the Salem witch hunt each week, with witch trial descendants and experts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack joined by guest historians, authors, and researchers. At 15 minutes a week, it is one of the most focused in-depth guides to Salem witch trials history available. Also from the hosts: Salem Witch Trials Daily and The Thing About Witch Hunts.#witch
Hosted by
Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack
Categories