What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Salem Witch Museum

Name: Salem Witch Museum
Address: 19 1/2 Washington Square N, Salem, MA, 01970, US
Telephone: (978) 744-1692
Price range: $

Home
United States
Salem, MA
Salem Witch Museum

Telling the story of the innocent victims of the Salem witch trials of 1692 since 1972.

09/02/2026

Have you ever seen the movie The Witches of Eastwick?

Based on John Updike’s novel, the film follows the lives of three dissatisfied women living in Eastwick, Rhode Island, who find themselves captivated by a mysterious stranger. As this dark comedy continues, it becomes apparent this charming man is no ordinary arrival. In fact, he is the Devil himself.

If you are a North Shore resident, many of the scenes may look familiar, for much of this movie was shot locally. Cohasset, Marblehead, Castle Hill in Ipswich, and the Wang Center were all used as film locations for this project!

We have a number of Witches of Eastwick related objects in our collection. In fact, a signed production packet was added to our exhibit Witches: Evolving Perceptions earlier this year! Signatures include stars Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer, as well as author John Updike.

09/01/2026

Happy September 1st! Let the countdown to October officially begin!

08/30/2026

This September we will be open for extended hours on Fridays and Saturdays. On these days, presentations begin every half hour from 10:00 am until 6:30 pm, the remainder of the week until 5:00 pm.

Tickets become available for purchase on our website at 10:00 pm the night before your visit. www.salemwitchmuseum.com/tickets

08/29/2026

Have you ever read Mary Beth Norton’s “In the Devil’s Snare”?

This excellent non-fiction work presents the ongoing brutal war between the settlers and the Indigenous tribes of New England and their French allies as essential context for the Salem witch trials.

Not only did these devastating events add to the environment of stress, but they may have directly contributed to the “afflictions” of some of the accusers– several of whom were refugees from frontier attacks.

This is essential reading for anyone interested in learning more about the Salem witch trials!

Historian Mary Beth Norton is also a relative of Mary Bradbury, an elderly woman accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials. Thanks to her connections and affluence, Mistress Bradbury was among the fortunate few who were able to escape and remain in hiding until after the panic cooled down.

08/26/2026

Did you know the Salem jail used during the witchcraft trials was located just around the corner from where our museum stands today?

In the late seventeenth century, the jail was located on Prison Lane, today known as St. Peter Street. This two-story building measured “thirteen feet stud, and twenty feet square” and was encircled by a prison yard (as was customary).

Contrary to popular belief, colonial records do not suggest there was a subterranean element of this structure. Rather, several communal cells were used to hold prisoners on the upper and lower floors.

The conditions in the prison were appalling. This was a dirt-floored, pest-ridden, dark, dismal place. It stank of to***co and dung. It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The iron bars which covered the windows did little to block the wind and rain.

In an effort to prevent specters from flying free, many of the witchcraft suspects were chained with heavy irons– the young, old, and ill included. The prisoners would be charged for their room and board (approximately two shillings, sixpence a week), plus a fee for these shackles.

This foul holding was one of four jails used to hold the enormous number of witchcraft suspects arrested during the Salem witch hunt. The others were located in Boston, Cambridge, and Ipswich.

Interested in learning more? Head over to our free 1692 Online Sites Tour www.salemwitchmuseum.com/locations/salem-jail-in-1692-site-of

08/25/2026

A few great books to add to your summer reading list!

A Salem Witch: The Trial, Ex*****on, and Exoneration of Rebecca Nurse by Daniel A. Gagnon is a thoroughly researched and beautifully written history of Rebecca Nurse.

The Once and Future Witch Hunt: A Descendant's Reckoning from Salem to the Present is a fascinating combination of past and present written by Alice Markham-Cantor, a descendant of Martha Carrier.

Moonology: Working with the Magic of Lunar Cycles by Yasmin Boland is a favorite selection from our modern witchcraft section.

Marion Gibson connects thirteen witch trials throughout history to illustrate the commonalities of misogyny, fear, and conspiratorial thinking in her book Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials.

Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes is a classic, called “a timeless rite-of-passage book” by The Washington Post. Bradbury’s ancestor, Mary Bradbury, survived a witchcraft conviction in 1692.

08/24/2026

Planning a trip to Salem this August? We are open for our extended summer hours through Labor Day weekend!

What will you see at the Salem Witch Museum? Two unique exhibits delve into the history of witchcraft. In our main theatre, visitors are immersed in the world of 1692 Salem as this audio-visual experience presents the story of these tragic events.

Our exhibit “Witches: Evolving Perceptions” is a guided tour highlighting the long history of the witch, from its dark origins to modern definitions. View real artifacts from the witch trials period, including an infamous witch hunter’s manual.

We are open seven days a week and offer presentations from 10:00 am until 7:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased on our website on the day of your visit www.salemwitchmuseum.com

08/23/2026

One of our most recommended non-fiction books is Professor Emerson Baker’s A Storm of Witchcraft.

This work delves into the range of factors which set the stage for the dramatic events in Salem. Engaging in a range of perspectives, Baker looks at the key players in the outbreak--the accused witches and those they allegedly bewitched, as well as the judges and government officials who prosecuted them--and wrestles with questions about why the Salem tragedy unfolded as it did, and why it has become an enduring legacy.

It is interesting to note, Emerson Baker is a descendant of accused witch Roger Toothaker. Roger was among the five individuals who died in prison awaiting trial during the Salem witch hunt.

08/22/2026

Though Joseph Putnam was one of three people who took notes during the first witchcraft examinations, he soon became skeptical of the witch hunt. His objections put him in direct conflict with most of his extended family, especially his half-brother Thomas Putnam Jr.

Joseph was quoted saying to his afflicted sister-in-law, “If you dare to touch with your foul lies anyone belonging to my household, you shall answer for it.” It was reported that Joseph kept horses saddled at all times, ready to escape if accusations were directed at him in 1692.

In 1718, Joseph’s son Israel was born in this house. Israel Putnam went on to become an important General during the American Revolution, commanding troops during the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Interested in learning more about the large, fascinating web which links the Salem witch trials and Revolutionary War? Join us for our second Rev250 event “Our Founding Mothers and Fathers: More Revolutionary War Connections to the Salem Witch Trials.” This free virtual program will take place on Thursday, September 17th at 1:00 pm. Please note, registration is required.
www.salemwitchmuseum.com/event/our-founding-mothers-and-fathers-2

08/21/2026

Have you ever seen the play The Crucible?

Though Arthur Miller's 1953 play was never intended to be read as a factual account of the Salem witch trials, many continue to take the play at face value. As such, the roles of John Proctor and Abigail William's are often misrepresented. We often hear discussion of the soured love affair between these individuals, a plot which was entirely the product of Miller's imagination.

In reality, John Proctor was 60 years old, the father of ten living children (six more having died by 1692), and the employer of a servant named Mary Warren.

In contrast, Abigail William's was an 11-year-old girl who lived in the home of her uncle, Samuel Parris, and had no apparent connection to the Proctor family. It is unclear what happened to Abigail after the witch trials came to an end, though circumstantial evidence suggests she may not have lived into adulthood.

In 1996, Arthur Miller wrote a fascinating retrospective discussing the sociopolitical environment which inspired this work of fiction as well as his own personal connections to the writing process. In this quote, he reflects on his inspiration as he wrote the character John Proctor.

Address

19 1/2 Washington Square N
Salem, MA
01970

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

(978) 744-1692

Website

http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Salem Witch Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Salem Witch Museum:

Want your museum to be the top-listed Museum in Salem?