Saturday, June 25, 2016

Salem #190

Today we decided to go to Salem to see what all the fuss was about with the witches. Made famous by plays such as "The Crucible", the Salem Witch Trials saw 20 Salem people executed (19 hanged, 1 crushed) for the crime of witchcraft. Unfortunately in the year 1692, Puritans (and many others) believed in witchcraft and lived in fear of the devil. This superstition lead to the deaths of 20 innocent people. Unthinkable today, but not so at the end of the 17th century.

Essex St, Downtown Salem
We took the ferry from Boston to Salem - lovely day to go anywhere by sea. Salem was very busy with tourists, and lots of extra colour was added as it was also LGTB Pride Day. We visited a poignant memorial to the 20 executed "witches" and also went to the Salem Witch Museum. This was not that good - the first part which was a type of show representing the story of the witch trials was OK, the second part (about witchcraft in general) was less interesting, made so by the teenage tour guide who seemed to forget a lot of stuff. Lunch was excellent in the Village Tavern, I'm beginning to become a connoisseur of American beer.  

Memorial to John Proctor, one of the "witches" hanged in 1692.
Overall - well worth the visit, though probably not a full day. Been there, done that!

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