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| Salem, Massachusetts, United States |
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| Information |
The Salem Witch Trials
In 1692 a panic spread through the county of Salem (an area that encompassed more than just the current city of Salem). The pranks of a few young girls led to accusations of witchcraft and the imprisonment and executions of multiple innocent villagers. Only one of the accused "witches," Giles Corey, was actually killed in the city of Salem itself (death resulting from torture). The rest of the accused were actually executed in the nearby town of Danvers. Twenty-four to thirty-seven people lost their lives (any numbers over 24 have never been officially confirmed) and many more lost their possessions and land to the local government.
Salem stands as an example of the horrors that can happen when a community gives in to mass panic or hysteria and community leaders use the panic to further their agendas and/or wealth.
Modern Salem
If Halloween were a place instead of date on the calender, that place would be Salem, Massachusetts. You can visit Salem in the middle of Spring day and still feel like Halloween is in the air. If you visit Salem in the actual month of October, you will be blown away. In a town where the cop cars bear the town symbol of a witch flying in front of a moon and the mayor judges Halloween costume contests, it is impossible to escape the Halloween vibe.... even if you wanted to.
The city of Salem has taken the notoriety of the Salem Witch Trials and created a tourist town that caters strongly to Halloween/horror/history enthusiasts. Ironically the city whose name is synonymous with witch persecution has become a haven for modern witches.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Author Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem and lived there for a time. His novel The House of Seven Gables is based on a relative's home in Salem. Nathaniel's Great Grandfather was John Hathorne... the Salem Witch Trial Judge.
Arkham
Salem is very likely the city that author H.P. Lovecraft based his fictional town of Arkham, Massachusetts on. Arkham has captured the imaginations of and been used by many other authors.
Arkham appears in the following Lovecraft stories:
At the Mountains of Madness
The Colour Out of Space
The Dreams in the Witch House
The Dunwich Horror
Herbert West - Reanimator
The Shadow Out of Time
The Shadow Over Innsmouth
The Thing on the Doorstep
Through the Gates of the Silver Key
The Unamable
October
During the month of October, Salem becomes a giant Halloween festival. The attractions that are open year round ramp up their activities. Some attractions open just for the Halloween season. There are increased guided tours. Parades, costume contests for both humans and their pets, street merchanting, costume balls and Halloween parties, seances, psychic fairs... all of this and more is to be found during the month of October in Salem. |
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O.T.I.S.(Odd Things I've Seen): Salem, MA - From: O.T.I.S. (03/15/09, 10:09 PM UTC)
Article excerpt from O.T.I.S. (Odd Things I've Seen):
"I always go in October. Interest in cauldron-hunched hags seems more excusable in that month...More
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| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| Dark Destinations in the News (10/22/07) |
| Dark Destinations in the News (10/14/07) |
| Dark Destinations in the News (10/11/07) |
| Dark Destinations in the News (10/10/07) |
| Dark Destinations in the News (10/4/07) |
| Dark Destinations in the News (9/28/07) |
| Blog: The Irony of Salem (03/01/09) |
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| Available from Amazon.com |
A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials |
I Walk in Dread: The Diary of Deliverance Trembly, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials, Massachusetts Bay Colony 1691 (Dear America Series) |
The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege |
Story of the Salem Witch Trials, The |
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