Well, I got better...
Part 3 of 3
On the third day of our East Coast adventure, we left historic Concord and traveled to Salem and spent an evening walking the town after dark on a Ghost Tour! We decided to do the 15 minute walk from our AIRBNB to the meeting spot where we met Erin, our guide for the evening. I was a little concerned about the walk back late night in Salem but Erin assured me it was safe - she was right!
The tour is US Ghost Adventures and we did the Late Night Ultimate Ghost Tour
Erin told many tales of the Witch City, dispelling some of the myths like witches being burned. They were hanged and we would see a memorial for them on the tour and go to the place where they were hanged the next day. We basically walked it again during daytime hours with better light for pictures so I will mostly relate some of the stories we heard in this blog.
Here is a list of those unfortunate human beings tried and hung or otherwise tortured
Executed by Hanging
Bridget Bishop (June 10, 1692)
Sarah Good (July 19, 1692)
Elizabeth Howe (July 19, 1692)
Susannah Martin (July 19, 1692)
Rebecca Nurse (July 19, 1692)
Sarah Wildes (July 19, 1692)
George Burroughs (August 19, 1692)
Martha Carrier (August 19, 1692)
George Jacobs Sr. (August 19, 1692)
John Proctor (August 19, 1692)
John Willard (August 19, 1692)
Martha Corey (September 22, 1692)
Mary Easty (September 22, 1692)
Alice Parker (September 22, 1692)
Mary Parker (September 22, 1692)
Ann Pudeator (September 22, 1692)
Wilmot Redd (September 22, 1692)
Margaret Scott (September 22, 1692)
Samuel Wardwell (September 22, 1692)
Died Under Torture / in Prison
Giles Corey (Pressed to death on September 19, 1692, for refusing to enter a plea)
Ann Foster (Died in jail on December 3, 1692)
Sarah Osborne (Died in jail on May 10, 1692)
Roger Toothaker (Died in prison on June 16, 1692)
Infant Mercy Good (Died in prison before her mother's execution)
Erin relayed so much information that it is hard to remember it all so here is a little cheater synopsis from wiki. We did stop at the Merchant Hotel but it was dark and my pics did not do so well but we will revisit that in the next blog. On with the stories...
“The Merchant's most infamous association is with the High Sheriff of Salem's Witch Trials. Yet Sheriff George Corwin wasn't your run-of-the-mill villain. Instead, Corwin was a sadistic twenty-five-year-old with a reputation for strangulation. But who, exactly, was Sheriff George Corwin? Better yet, what did he do?
Sheriff George Corwin was the nephew of magistrates Jonathan Corwin and Wait Winthrop, yet was also the son-in-law of Judge Bartholomew Gedney. His appointment as High Sheriff of Essex County was an obvious outcome. (If you're into nepotism, that is.)
Rumor has it that Sheriff Corwin would tie the necks of his victims to their ankles, reinforcing his nickname "The Strangler." Although this has been unproven, Sheriff Corwin did, however, sign arrest warrants for those convicted of witchcraft. Corwin even chose the execution site of the nineteen who were hanged. His choice? Proctor's Ledge, visibly situated on the outskirts of Salem.
You can visit Proctor's Ledge today if you'd like to pay your respects… You may even spot a spirit or two.
Corwin was likewise charged with the transportation of "witches," carting Rebecca Nurse, Susanna Martin, Elizabeth How, Sarah Wildes, and Sarah Good to Proctor's Ledge. In Marilynne K. Roach's Salem Witch Trials Reader, Roach details how Corwin brought Bridget Bishop to her execution:
Like later condemned witches, Bridget Bishop was transported in a cart flanked by guards and mounted officers in a procession that drew onlookers as it passed from the jail, down Prison Lane, to the main street… Several of the afflicted were present, beaten, they said, by old Jacob's specter, leaning on the Devil so it could use one of its staves as a club.
Through Corwin's trajectory, Corwin guaranteed that the transportation was public spectacle. Everyone could witness the carrying of Corwin's convicted "witches."
Corwin was directly responsible for the arrests of over two-hundred, and the deaths of nineteen. Yet executions weren't always allowed for witchcraft: a Massachusetts law that prohibited death by hanging was resurrected and reinstated. Corwin backed the method, no doubt.
Corwin was even ordered by the Court of Oyer and Terminer to oversee the interrogation of Giles Corey. Corey had "stood mute" during trial. His punishment? The "peine forte et dure" – Corwin's pick. French for "strong and harsh punishment," the "peine forte et dure" required that the victim's chest be bound with a board, then set by rock or stone. The method was intended to force the defendant to plead guilty or not guilty. Refuse to plead? Then you were crushed until death. That was the fate of Giles Corey, at least.
Sheriff Corwin was a ruthless executioner, too. When Corey's tongue had "prest out his mouth" from the "peine forte et dure," Sheriff Corwin forced it back with his cane. Gruesome? You bet. It's no wonder that Giles Corey cursed Corwin with the last breath in his body.
Yet Giles Corey was a bit of a fiend himself. Corey had been brought to trial for the murder of Jacob Goodale in 1676. Goodale's offense? Stolen apples. Corey was exempt from the charge of murder: corporal punishment was permitted against indentured servants, and Goodale had been Corey's farmhand. Corey was instead convicted for the use of "unreasonable" force. He was obliged to pay a fine but went otherwise unpunished.
Some say that Giles Corey cursed Salem Village during his execution. Since "Corey's Curse," The Sheriffs of Salem have since died or resigned for cardiac complications. The Great Salem Fire of 1914 was even attributed to the curse, as well as the premature retirement of Sheriff Robert Cahill. Cahill had been afflicted with a myriad of maladies, though his doctor was unable to determine their cause…
Salem's Sea Merchant
Joshua Ward, Sea Captain and merchant, bought the property in 1784. Ward then had architect Samuel McIntyre build the three-story, Federal-style home in a view of the South River.
Plus, as one of the earliest brick homes in Salem, the property was impressive. So impressive that George Washington requested to stay in the house during his 1789 visit.
A bust of Washington was then placed on a second-floor window, leading passersby to believe that they could spot the spirit of Washington! In this case, though, the "sightings" were more marble than magic.
Yet what makes this eighteenth-century home Salem's "most haunted"? Is there more to this historic house?
As High Sheriff of Salem's Witch Trials, Corwin was bound to have a few haunts hidden under the hearth. It's even alleged that Corwin tortured victims in the "Witch Dungeon," though this was never proven to be true.
Corwin was, however, buried on the property in 1696. Corwin was only thirty years-of-age, leading some to believe that Corwin surrendered to the curse of Giles Corey. His final cause of death? Cardiac arrest. Strange, since Corey had suffocated while his chest had been set with stone… Corey had only died four years prior, too.
Corwin was later relocated to Broad Street Cemetery, but could his spirit still stalk the house?
Those sensitive to energies seem to think so. And, it's no surprise that visitors see the Sheriff sitting near the fireplace! The Salem Pioneer even detailed that "another sighting, that of the sheriff himself" was said to have been witnessed by the Merchant's former establishment.
Legend has it that you can feel "The Strangler's" suffocating grip. "Apparition asphyxiations? No place for the fearful or faint of heart!"
There are those who say that Giles Corey inhabits The Merchant. Some blame Corey for knocking over candlesticks. Trash cans are overturned, items found out of place, deadbolts open and close on their own… Does Corey seek revenge against Salem, or retribution? Is this Corey's penance for the death of Jacob Goodale? – Or is Corey lashing out at Sheriff Corwin, whose company he's forced to keep?
The Merchant's most peculiar spectacle must be that of the "Lady in Black. " No one's sure what she wants, or where she came from, but they all have similar sightings: a female spirit in a black costume with blacker curls. "The Lady in Black" has even been described as having transparent skin. It's as if she were made of glass!
Fun Fact: Photos were taken of "The Lady in Black," showing a full-length figure with unbrushed hair. The photo, taken by Carlson Realty in the 1980s, was intended to capture an employee. Yet Carlson Realty caught something else altogether… Robert Cahill highlighted the image in his New England's Ghostly Haunts, and other witnesses have since corroborated the event.
Some believe that "The Lady in Black" was another victim of Corwin's, though her identity is unknown. Let us know if you see her? Or if you find out more!
The Merchant wasn't always known by its moniker. In the nineteenth century, the Merchant was instead The Washington Hotel! Was this inspired by Washington's visit or its location on Washington Street? Either way, its namesake was appropriate.
By the twentieth century, the Merchant became a real estate center, publishing company, and multi-unit office space. Employees of the former Higginson Book Company say they've certainly seen their fair share of spirits!
The Merchant was even set for demolition in the 1970s, though it was later saved. We imagine we're not the only ones thankful, however… There are a few pleased phantoms, too.
Want more of Giles Corey? Be sure to stop by Howard Street Cemetery! It's said that his ghost still gallivants across the graveyard. And, as Salem's fourth oldest burning ground, you're bound to find a few phantoms. You can also find a monument to Giles Corey at Proctor's Ledge, the confirmed site of execution for Salem's Witch Trials. Located at Pope Street, Proctor's Ledge memorializes those lost to Salem's unjust bigotry. You can even stop by the Salem Witch Trials Memorial!”
We will visit many of these places in the next blog; however, we never did make it to the Howard Street Cemetery - perhaps for the better?
So as we walked past the spooky house and outside the gates of the cemetery, I turned to take this picture. Notice the blue tint on the right side of the picture.
Now I am generally not one to say that I saw any paranormal activity and I truly think that what I saw was a flash from a street light, car or just my mind playing tricks on me. What I saw, but don’t see in the picture, was a blue ball of light that came down like a comet from the top of that house about in the middle. It happen so fast and I was taking pictures so I am not sure if it was before I actually took the picture above or not, but I remember jerking my phone down and standing no doubt with a perplexed look on my face wondering what, if anything, I just experienced. Likely nothing, but it sure was an eerie feeling then and now!
Just before you enter the cemetery is the Salem Witches Memorial. Today was July 18th. We would be revisiting the memorial on the 19th, a mere 334 years later!
What a great evening and excellent guide. And as we walked back to our original meeting spot, Erin turned around and asked who the couple staying in Colins Cove were. Once again she reassured us that our walk would be safe and pointed us in the right direction and saving us further walking. If you are ever in Salem, I highly recommend this tour. And rest assured that Erin will not turn you into a newt!
