The Salem Witch Trials Podcast

We discuss how the frontier town of Andover, MA, located a dozen miles west of Salem, gets caught up in the growing witch hysteria in 1692. We're joined by Martha Tubinis, director of programs at the Andover Center for History and Culture, and Toni Armstrong, a PhD candidate in the History of Art and Architecture at Boston University, and a Weekend Research Assistant at the Andover Center for History and Culture. 

We explore the life and legacy of Martha Carrier, the first Andover resident accused of witchcraft in 1692. We’re joined by Carrier’s descendant, Alice Markham-Cantor, author of The Once and Future Witch Hunt: A Descendant’s Reckoning from Salem to the Present. 

• Learn more about Alice Markham-Cantor and her book at her website.
  

The way we learn history today is evolving. In this episode, we're joined by Emily Wolff, a history grad student who shares videos about the Salem witch trials on TikTok (@history_with_Emily). We discuss the challenges and opportunities of educating audiences on social media, and what it might mean for the future.

• Be sure to check out host Greg Houle's new novel: The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.

It’s our one year anniversary and we’re celebrating with a great discussion, recorded before a live audience at the Danvers Historical Society’s Tapley Memorial Hall in downtown Danvers, MA (formerly known as Salem Village) on September 30, 2024. The panelists include:

• Emerson Baker is a historical archaeologist and professor of history at Salem State University who has done extensive work around the witch crisis. He’s the author of several books, including A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience. 
  

The Salem witch trials are filled with strange and tragic stories. But few are as strange or as tragic as that of Roger and Mary Toothaker and their family.

• Join us for a live broadcast: On Monday, September 30 at 3pm we'll be broadcasting live at Tapley Memorial Hall. Sponsored by the Danvers Historical Society, our panelist for this episode include: Emerson Baker, Rachel Christ-Doane, and Daniel Gagnon.
  

Host Greg Houle's book, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials, is now available. In this short bonus episode, he talks about the novel.

• Learn more at theputnamsofsalem.com

Host Greg Houle explores the role his own ancestors, the Putnam family, played in fueling the witch crisis, investigating the complex motivations behind their actions and reflecting on how this history still resonates with us today.

• Join host Greg Houle on Friday, August 30 at 7pm EDT for a virtual discussion about his book The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.
  

While the majority of people living in Salem in 1692 were completely swept up in the witch hysteria, there were more than a few brave souls who cast a skeptical eye at what was going on. We tell some of their stories. 

• Preorder Greg Houle's book, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials
  

John Willard was both an outsider and a bit of a hustler, looking to earn wealth through land speculation. These qualities didn’t serve him well when the witch hysteria struck Salem in 1692 and John Willard found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

• Preorder Greg Houle's book, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials
  

In many ways, the Salem witch trials have taken on a life of their own over the last three centuries. In this episode, we’re joined by John Howard Smith, professor of history at Texas A&M University - Commerce, who helps us sort through the myths and realities of the witch crisis. 

• Prof. Smith’s most recent book is A Dream of the Judgment Day: American Millennialism and Apocalypticism, 1620-1890