Exhibit:

Unmasking history: A Journey Through the Salem Witch Trials

Preview of images

In the 17th century, chaos began to arise in Salem, Massachusetts. Mysterious illnesses suddenly began to spread like wildfire. One by one, townmembers started to be contained because they were "transmitters" of this disease. Soon, neighboring towns were infected; the only question being who was next? One fatal finger was all that was needed to spread this and costed the lives of many. Then, one day, it all stopped, quiet murmors being the only trace left of the disease. However, this will be a time which will live in infamy: the Salem Witch Trials. 

 

Images in this Exhibit

Locations of Witchcraft Accusations

The image above is a static map representing the locations of witchcraft accusations across Northeastern America. The map shows where accusations have spread to by April of 1692. This is represented by the orange markings on the map. Benjamin Ray, director of the Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive at the University of Virginia, was the creator of the map. The purpose? Curiosity of the accelerated spread rate of witchcraft accusations. Ray noticed similarities between the accusations and the transmission of a disease. (“Examples of Spatial Humanities Projects...
Bridget Bishop Examination

The document above is the examination order of Bridget Bishop, who was later one of the first townsfolk executed as mentioned by Cotton Mather in “Wonders of the Invisible World” (Mather). During the examination, which was recorded by John Hauthorn and  Jonath: Corwin Esq'rs, "spectral evidence" was the primary source of information to prove Bishop guilty. Bishop mentions never seeing the four to five people who accused her of being a witch, and even that she does not know what a witch is; to which the judge says: "How can you know, you are no Witch, & yet not...
Sarah Good

The image above is an actual picture of the arrest warrant for Sarah Good. Good's warrant was released on February 29th, 1692. Sarah was one of many people who were convicted of witchcraft. However, there was one issue, Sarah Good was pregnant. Due to this major confliction Sarah was held in a prison until she gave birth. Unfortunately, Good’s newborn child passed away and she was executed in July; this turn of events lead to phycological damage to the rest of her family, specifically her daughter Dorcas (Jobe). During her execution Sarah was asked by the minister to confess to witchcraft...
Mary Walcott

Above is an engraving made in 1876 representing Mary Walcott during one of her trials. Mary Walcott was a main accuser during the trials, she continued these accusations from nearly the start of the trials until the end (“Mary Walcott Home”). During the time of Salem Witch Trials, there was severe panic with the unknown, similarly to “The Minister’s Black Veil” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  In both scenarios, townsfolk are swept into mass hysteria, due to the unknown. In the image, they are unsure of what is causing all of these “unexplainable” scenarios. Thus, forcing many to go to...
The Fading Echos of Salem

The wilting of an innocent flower, shown in a picture taken by Brandon Echols on October 18th 2023, is a reaction in which most people are aware of. Similarly to a flower, most beautiful things, begin to fade away as seen in "Nothing Gold can Stay" by Robert Frost. In the Salem Witch Trials, civilians’ innocent lives were taken at will by the witchcraft accusers. This relation between the people's lives and a flower describes both innocence and delicacy which people are born as; however, both have the ability to become corrupted. In “Nothing Gold can Stay”, Frost states “Her early leaf’s a...
The Puritan Period

The creation date of the image above is estimated to be anywhere from 1910-1919. The author is currently unknown. The image represents a group of puritans traveling to church in the winter. Church and Puritanism was extremely important to the Puritans and it pertains directly to the Salem Witch Trails, as that was the main religion of Salem. The puritans believed “it was necessary to be in a covenant relationship with God in order to be redeemed from one’s sinful condition, that God had chosen to reveal salvation through preaching, and that the Holy Spirit was the energizing instrument of...
William Stoughton's Injustice

The above image is a portrait of William Stoughton, created around 1700 by an unknown author, the chief of justice in the Salem Witch Trials (“William Stoughton (Judge)”). Stoughton was the main prosecutor of those accused of witchcraft. During the Salem Witch Trials, he frequently imposed injustice on those accused of witchcraft. Similarly to the witch trials, Langston Hughes “Harlem” explores the injustice placed on African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance period, a movement which signified a cultural awakening. In court, “a guilty until proven innocent” method was used; it was...
Giles Corey: An Example of Perseverance

The image above is the arrest warrant for Giles Corey, a resident of Salem, Massachusetts. Corey was convicted of witchcraft and a warrant for his arrest was placed on April 18th, 1692 (“SWP No. 037”). Corey, however, showed extreme devotion and perseverance towards his family. When arrested, Corey pleaded “not guilty” in an attempt to save his land and money for his family despite the grueling consequences (Snyder). A “not guilty” plea resulted in a brutal punishment called pressing; pressing consists of the stripping of clothes, then stones would be placed on top of your body, bit by bit...