Salem, Mass. has become recognized across the country as the site of the Witch Trials. We’ve studied “The Crucible” and heard the stories of women being burned at the stake or hanged for being a witch—that is, performing dark magic and conspiring with the Devil. Getting to see where these events took place in real life was such an awesome experience, and one that I would certainly recommend to those interested in the maleficent and macabre.
My mom and I arrived in Boston in the late evening on Oct. 18, and began our exploration of all things witchy on the following morning. We spent most of our time on Essex Street, which seems to be something of a hub for witchy shops, merchandise, snacks, and activities. Already people lined the sidewalks and the street had been blockaded so that the masses of visitors could mill about as they pleased. Many wore Halloween costumes, others black witch hats, and some even had T-shirts made for the occasion, reading things like “Witches’ Trip 2024” and the like.
Our first stop was to the dwelling of a psychic medium, who kindly gave each of us a 30-minute reading, including a tarot reading. I had never had a psychic reading before–I must say, I am a bit skeptical as to whether the practice is truly connected to the spirits of the deceased, but I choose to treat it as if I do believe in ghosts and spirits. There were a few things in my reading that resonated with me, and I considered it overall a very fun experience. After my mom’s reading, we did some shopping, stopping into a store called “The Black Veil,” where we browsed their spooky selection of T-shirts and stickers. We then headed to the Witch House.
So, the Witch House isn’t exactly what it sounds like—there were never any witches actually living inside it. However, I learned later on that the house belonged to one of the judges in power during the time of the trials. It certainly has a very eerie look to it, painted black with small windows, and it stood fairly tall. We were not able to go inside the Witch House (tickets were required for that and they had sold out within minutes) but getting to see it in person was such a cool memory for me. After the house, we headed back into the heart of Essex Street to continue our shopping, where I acquired a coffin-shaped bag with a ouija planchette keychain from a little store called Nocturne–which, by the way, will be coming out with me on Halloween. It is quite possibly my favorite bag ever. We continued to peruse the crowded street until it was time for our group seance, in which we gathered as a group of 30-50 people in a dimly lit room and listened as another medium worked to convey messages from any passed relatives who may want to speak with us. Like before, I tried to keep an open mind and treat it as if I believed in the practice, and found it interesting to listen to the medium decipher whose loved ones were speaking and what messages they bore. She actually stopped by my mom and I once and spoke to my mother about family history, trying to decide who may be speaking to us from beyond the veil. I didn’t read too much into it, but was definitely excited to be included in the reading.
After this, we met up with our tour group for a nighttime tour of Salem’s famously haunted buildings. This was very interesting to my mom and me, as we are both very into history, and I enjoyed learning the paranormal histories of buildings like the Witch House and the Ropes Mansion. One site we visited was a hotel that was said to be haunted after a couple stayed the night and claimed to hear children running around outside their door, only to be told the next morning by the staff that there were no children staying at the hotel at that time.
The next morning we were packing up already, reluctant to leave such a fascinating little city. We had just enough time to stop by another little witchy market, where I purchased possibly my favorite souvenir of all, a pagan sabbat calendar. As one who is new to paganism and wicca in general, I have been learning a lot about the history and customs of such faiths, and seeing it all depicted in one beautiful picture was really cool.
I would give my trip to Salem five-out-of five stars, though I wish we’d had more time to explore. Both my mom and I really enjoyed the festive atmosphere, with nearly every shop decorated for Halloween, and would love to go back someday.