A Random Drive Through Salem, Massachusetts – Part 1

Share June 22, 2010 | Culture, Digital Photography, Travel

On our way up to Rockport, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, we found out that Salem was on the way.

Everyone knows this is the town where the infamous Salem Witch Trials took place.

We didn’t have much time to spend the entire day there, but we did decided to drive through, stop for a little lunch and visit a few of the local “haunts”, no pun intended.

Someone told me that every Halloween, Salem is like THE most crowded place, naturally because of the town’s connection to witchcraft and the occult. I at least wanted to pass through and check things out for a bit. I have a curiosity for the supernatural, for obvious reasons.

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Spookiest Town in America?

Featured notably in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, much of the city’s cultural identity is reflective of its role as the location of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692: Police cars are adorned with witch logos, a local public school is known as the Witchcraft Heights Elementary School, the Salem High School football team is named The Witches, and Gallows Hill, a site of numerous public hangings, is currently used as a playing field for various sports.

Perhaps, doing a little travelogue on Salem, Massachusetts is more appropriate for Halloween, but I thought I should write about my brief experiences and feelings about Salem while it’s all fresh in my mind.

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I Somehow Had The Uncanny Feeling I Was In Salem

Interesting note: While driving we passed through the town of Peabody which is near or adjacent to Salem. But the minute we entered Salem I knew, without having seen any signs. If any place looked spooky, it was Salem.

Right away upon entering it, this town gave me the creeps… the willies… a certain sense of something ominous. It looked like most of the buildings here date back to the 1600s. Even the churches, where one would think was a sanctuary from whatever surrounding evils were around, looked scary. Perhaps I was just not used to the Puritanical, New England style churches with the pointy steeples.

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Public Hangings, Anyone?

This structure certainly gave me the creeps. Located near the shopping square and the town hall, doesn’t this look like a place where they gave public hangings?

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Witchcraft and The Occult: Big Business in Salem