By Greg Houle
4.5
4242 ratings
The podcast currently has 25 episodes available.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We explore the myth of religious freedom in early American history, addressing the intolerance of the Puritans and the challenges faced by other religious groups. And we see how these aspects begin to evolve following the witch crisis.
Cotton Mather was a third generation minister born into Puritan royalty, a nepo baby long before anyone had ever used the term. But his involvement in the Salem witch trials — and defense of the trials afterward — led to his eventual vilification. We’re joined by Professor Rick Kennedy who helps us sort through Mather’s complex role in Puritan New England.
We often think of the population of seventeenth-century New England as homogenous—made up entirely of Anglo-Puritans and the natives who had been living in America for centuries. Yet there were others in New England as well, including a very small, yet significant minority of enslaved Black residents. In this episode, we tell the story of two of them, Mary and Candy, who got caught up in the witch crisis.
We explore the enigmatic figure of Reverend Samuel Parris, the man who sat at the spiritual head of Salem Village during the witch crisis. We trace Reverend Parris' journey to Salem, which is set against a backdrop of privilege, adventure, and numerous setbacks.
The podcast currently has 25 episodes available.
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