One day in Salem, the city of witches

This novel is based on the events surrounding the 1692 Salem, Massachusetts witch trials. Miller wrote about the event as an allegory for the persecution fever and repression of the 1950s.

Salem is located just 25 km from Boston and is a highly recommended day trip to spend a vacation in the area. From Boston, it is very easy to get there by train from North Station for a price of $ 15 a round trip ticket in October 2018. The journey takes just over half an hour each way.

The Salem story

The story goes back to 1692, when two girls in Salem began to have spasms, high fever, and seizures. They were the daughter and niece of the Reverend Samuel Parris: Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams. Some versions of the story indicate that the two girls were walking around their house on all fours and barking.

A little later, other girls and women in the village began to show the same symptoms, and rumors spread that witches had infected them. The first to be processed was a slave named Tituba. Soon after, mass hysteria caused Salem residents to blame each other. The mistrust spread to neighboring towns, with more bewitched girls emerging every day and new ones implicated, reaching more than 150 defendants.

Four years after the trial, the jurors who handed down the sentence would sign a confession of error, in which they attributed their performance to the fear and hysteria unleashed from the first accusations.

There is another statement that I was told by a current resident of Salem with whom I was chatting (although this I have not seen officially in any document) that maintains that a large part of these accusations of "witchcraft" was motivated by disputes between land and by attempts to snatch properties from other residents of the town.

The current Salem

As terrifying as the story is, Salem has taken advantage of it. It is a city of about 40,000 inhabitants that receives more than 1 million visitors each year from worldwide. And the whole town (or at least the tourist part) has become an enormous tourist trap.

Don't get me wrong. The town is pretty; it has some great historic houses, and the waterfront area around the docks is downright adorable. But it is saturated with souvenir shops, selling magic and witchcraft articles, hand reading, tarot cards ... Anything that you can imagine related to magic. And of course, dozens of paid tours, personally dressed up for the typical photo, street vendors ... Of course, fun is guaranteed.

The easiest way to visit Salem is to be guided by the red line painted on the ground that runs through the main points of interest in the city. You will find buses that carry out the route, but you can walk without excessive problems in reality. Possibly the entire way can be done in about an hour, although it will take us much longer as soon as we stop at shops, attractions, taking photos, etc.

Salem Witch Museum

Possibly the most visited attraction in Salem. Inside, the story of the Salem witches is told, and some items of the time are displayed.

Since in all the guides and forums it was indicated that it is pretty disappointing for its price. Which consists of a projection and a small exhibition that does not justify the $ 12 that the entrance fee to the museum costs.

Memorial to the Victims of the Salem Trials

It is a small cemetery on the wall of which 20 stone benches have been placed, one for each of the victims. In these banks appear the victim's name, the date of her execution, and how it was carried out. It is one of the few places in Salem that give actual testimony to what happened in 1692 without adorning it with witch tales.

Is Salem worth visiting?

You are conditioned to the fact that you are in the area and have a day, or even just half a day off. It will make no sense to recommend Salem as your only visit to Massachusetts if you are not traveling through Boston or the surrounding area. That is why from Auto Europe, we recommend that you plan your trip to the city of Salem, and if you plan to go in the Autumn season, you should organize your visit in advance because Halloween is the time with the highest influx of tourists.