The Witch House, located at 310 1/2 Essex Street

The year: 1692 and you have just been arrested on charges of witchcraft. The accused that plead not guilty are sentenced to prison anyway.

… But for those who don’t confess, the verdict is death

This prevailing philosophy sent 20 men and women to their death. In 1692 the Puritain culture, a strict religious community conducted the now famous witch trials. It began with innocent children playing but ended in a horrorific nightmare.

The Witch House, located at 310½ Essex Street in Salem MA

... The oldest and only building in Salem with a direct linage to the period. Judge Jonathan Cowin sat on the Court of Oyer and Terminer and helped detain these men, women and children accused of sorcery. The Jonathan Corwin house remains an example of 17th-century architecture and offers us information on the life-style of those who lived during this period. Purchased in 1675 by Corwin, it passed through the hands of his family until sometime in the 1800’s. Concerned with the destruction of the house, in 1944 a group of Salem residents raised $42,500 for its restoration of the house. It is now a museum where visitor can go and contemplate the events of 1692.