The Thing About Salem

Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack

The Thing About Salem is your resource for in-depth coverage of the Salem Witch Trials, the largest outbreak of witchcraft accusations in American history. Witch trial descendants and experts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack examine a different “thing” about the Salem Witch-Hunt in each new conversational episode, uncovering a topic, person, or place associated with the witch hunt of 1692-1693. 15-minutes a week is all you need to have all your Salem Witch Trials questions answered. Were there any witches in Salem? #witchcraft #truecrime #Tituba #puritans #newengland #popculture #history

  1. March 7, 1692: The Salem Witch Trials accused are transferred to Boston's jail

    3H AGO · BONUS

    March 7, 1692: The Salem Witch Trials accused are transferred to Boston's jail

    In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we dive into the pivotal events of March 7, 1692, a day that marked a massive shift in the escalating crisis of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. We explore how the absence of stable leadership and a deep-seated spiritual dread created the perfect storm for the tragedies that followed. A Colony in Limbo: We discuss the long journey of Reverend Increase Mather and the future governor, Sir William Phips, as they departed London with a new charter in hand. We look at how the lack of a formal government in Massachusetts during their absence allowed the witch hunt to spiral out of control without legal oversight. The Ministers’ Meeting: We take you to Cambridge, where local ministers gathered to grapple with what they perceived as a literal demonic invasion. We examine the "city upon a hill" worldview and the apocalyptic fears that led the clergy to interpret strange behaviors as a diabolical conspiracy. The Road to Boston: We follow the first group of accused women—Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne—as they are ordered to be transferred from Salem Village to the horrific conditions of the Boston jail. The Human Cost: We touch upon the devastating impact these transfers had on the accused and their families, including the heartbreaking presence of Sarah Good’s infant daughter and the later imprisonment of her four-year-old, Dorothy. Sign the petition to exonerate Massachusetts witch trial victims Find My Massachusetts Legislators The Thing About Witch Hunts / About Salem YouTube channel ⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub Salem Witch Trials Daily Course Week 7: Families, Geography, and the Machinery of Accusation, February 9-15, 2026 ⁠The Thing About Salem ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts ⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619⁠ ⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience ⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection

    5 min
  2. March 6, 1692: Elizabeth Procter identified as a specter

    1D AGO · BONUS

    March 6, 1692: Elizabeth Procter identified as a specter

    In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we discuss Ann Putnam Jr.’s March 1692 claims that the apparition of “Goody Proctor” attacked her by choking, biting, and pinching, and that she later identified Elizabeth Proctor as the specter’s owner, alleging pressure to sign a book. We then introduce Elizabeth Proctor’s background beyond later fictional portrayals: her birth as Elizabeth Bassett in Lynn, her family connection to Ann Burt who had faced a witchcraft accusation in 1669, and how beliefs about inherited witchcraft could fuel suspicion. We also cover her 1674 marriage to John Proctor, their large blended household on the rented Downing farm in Salem Farms, their choice to worship in Salem Town, the presence of servant Mary Warren, and hints of domestic tension that will shape our ongoing timeline. 00:00 Accusation Begins 00:22 Testimony Details 00:59 Who Was Proctor 01:17 Family Background 01:51 Marriage And Home 02:17 Servant And Tensions 02:35 Closing And Subscribe Sign the petition to exonerate Massachusetts witch trial victims Find My Massachusetts Legislators The Thing About Witch Hunts / About Salem YouTube channel ⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub Salem Witch Trials Daily Course Week 7: Families, Geography, and the Machinery of Accusation, February 9-15, 2026 ⁠The Thing About Salem ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts ⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt ⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience ⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection

    3 min
  3. March 5, 1692: Strange Sights in Salem

    2D AGO · BONUS

    March 5, 1692: Strange Sights in Salem

    We cover March 5, 1692, when authorities transferred Sarah Good from the Ipswich Jail to the Salem Jail and magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin questioned her, while Tituba again repeated her confessions. We also discuss how William Allen, William Good, John Hughes, and Samuel Braybrook submitted a statement against Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, and we read from the original text describing alleged strange noises, apparitions, animals, lights, and other incidents connected to the accused. Braybrook’s account includes details from transporting Sarah Good to Ipswich and her remarks about the evidence against her. We note that while the accusations began with afflicted girls, by this point adults in the community were making similar claims and filing complaints that led to warrants. 00:00 March 5 Interrogations 00:46 Reading the Statement 00:54 Allen and Hughes Testimony 02:07 Witch Mark Allegation 02:23 Hughes Dog and Cat 03:05 Braybrook Escort Account 03:45 How Accusations Spread Sign the petition to exonerate Massachusetts witch trial victims Find My Massachusetts Legislators The Thing About Witch Hunts / About Salem YouTube channel ⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub Salem Witch Trials Daily Course Week 7: Families, Geography, and the Machinery of Accusation, February 9-15, 2026 ⁠The Thing About Salem: https ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts ⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt ⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience ⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection

    4 min
  4. March 4 in History: Charters for Massachusetts and Pennsylvania

    3D AGO · BONUS

    March 4 in History: Charters for Massachusetts and Pennsylvania

    In this March 4th episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we place Salem Village in the tense aftermath of the first public examinations held March 1, 1692, noting that while March 4 is quiet with no new warrants or hearings, the legal process and accusations continue, fueled in part by Tituba’s alarming testimony about the devil, familiars, and a book of names as the three accused women remain jailed. We also explore March 4’s broader colonial significance through two charters: the Massachusetts Bay charter becoming operative on March 4, 1629, later revoked in 1684, with a new charter en route in 1692 with Increase Mather; and the March 4, 1681 Pennsylvania charter granted to William Penn, contrasting Pennsylvania’s record on witchcraft with Massachusetts’ mounting crisis. 00:00 March 4th in Salem 00:12 Aftermath of Hearings 00:45 Tituba Shocks the Court 01:06 Charter Day Connections 01:16 Massachusetts Bay Charter 01:46 Revoked and Replaced 02:08 Pennsylvania Contrast 02:39 Why Systems Matter 02:54 Pressure Cooker Finale Sign the petition to exonerate Massachusetts witch trial victims Find My Massachusetts Legislators The Thing About Witch Hunts / About Salem YouTube channel ⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub Salem Witch Trials Daily Course Week 7: Families, Geography, and the Machinery of Accusation, February 9-15, 2026 ⁠The Thing About Salem ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts ⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt ⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience ⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection

    3 min
  5. Afraid of the specter of the 4-year-old girl who was called a witch in the Salem Witch Trials

    4D AGO · BONUS

    Afraid of the specter of the 4-year-old girl who was called a witch in the Salem Witch Trials

    We recount the fear people felt at the alleged sight of the specter of a 4-year-old girl. We explore what 17th-century New Englanders meant by “specters” or “shapes,” why afflicted accusers were treated as visionaries, and how invisible attacks like pinching, choking, and demands to sign the devil’s book became accepted in court. We share a vivid example involving Benjamin Hutchinson and Abigail Williams that shows how frightening and persuasive spectral claims could be. We also examine the central legal and theological dispute of 1692—whether the devil could assume the form of an innocent person—along with how magistrates such as William Stoughton and clergy such as Cotton Mather (via “The Return of Several Ministers”) differed on the reliability of spectral evidence. We note how things changed in early 1693, and we mention key events dated March 3, 1692, including claims involving Dorothy Good and Tituba’s third questioning. 00:00 Dorothy Good Specter 00:16 Meet the Hosts 00:22 What Is a Specter 00:47 Invisible Attacks Described 01:05 Spectral Evidence Trap 01:36 Benjamin Hutchinson Incident 02:02 Devil Shape Debate 02:43 Ministers Push Back 03:04 Spectral Evidence Ends 03:43 Tituba Questioned Again Sign the petition to exonerate Massachusetts witch trial victims: https://change.org/witchtrials Find My Massachusetts Legislators: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator The Thing About Witch Hunts / About Salem YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliis4vjMIUgg3wcA0pXeYQ/ ⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/⁠ Salem Witch Trials Daily Course Week 7: Families, Geography, and the Machinery of Accusation, February 9-15, 2026: https://aboutsalem.com/week-7-blog-families-geography-and-the-machinery-of-accusation-february-9-15-2026/ ⁠The Thing About Salem: https://aboutsalem.com⁠ ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com⁠ ⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780375706905⁠ Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619⁠ ⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience:  https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805⁠ ⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329⁠ Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection: https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection Links

    4 min
  6. Tituba elaborates on her Salem Witch Trials confession

    5D AGO · BONUS

    Tituba elaborates on her Salem Witch Trials confession

    In this episode of Salem Witch Trials Daily, we cover the developments of March 2, 1692 in Essex County, including constable Samuel Braybrook’s report that Sarah Good escaped custody three times on the way to the Ipswich jail. Back at the Salem jail, magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin interrogated Sarah Osborne and Tituba, with Osborne maintaining her innocence while Tituba expanded on her confession, describing the devil’s appearance, coercion to harm Betty Parris and Abigail, and signing the devil’s book alongside nine others, including Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne, leaving several witches unidentified. We also share how testimony continued to mount, with reports of Sarah Good’s specter and strange animal apparitions, as five community members formally deposed against the three accused women. 00:00 March 2nd Shock 00:35 Show Introduction 00:40 Osborne and Tituba 01:37 Devil’s Book 01:59 Witch Hunt Begins 02:18 More Testimonies 02:38 Formal Depositions Sign the petition to exonerate Massachusetts witch trial victims: https://change.org/witchtrials Find My Massachusetts Legislators: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator The Thing About Witch Hunts / About Salem YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliis4vjMIUgg3wcA0pXeYQ/ ⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/⁠ Salem Witch Trials Daily Course Week 7: Families, Geography, and the Machinery of Accusation, February 9-15, 2026: https://aboutsalem.com/week-7-blog-families-geography-and-the-machinery-of-accusation-february-9-15-2026/ ⁠The Thing About Salem: https://aboutsalem.com⁠ ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com⁠ ⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780375706905⁠ Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781107689619⁠ ⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience:  https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9780190627805⁠ ⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege: https://bookshop.org/a/90227/9781589791329⁠ Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection (the court documents): https://pem.quartexcollections.com/collections/salem-witch-trials-collection Links

    3 min
  7. March 1, 1692: The first arrests of the Salem Witch Trials

    6D AGO · BONUS

    March 1, 1692: The first arrests of the Salem Witch Trials

    We cover the busy day of March 1, 1692 in Salem Village as Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba were arrested and brought to the meetinghouse for crowded examinations led by magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin, with multiple people recording the proceedings. We discuss how Good and Osborne denied any pact with the devil while pressure and accusations mounted, including debate over whether the devil could appear in an innocent person’s shape. We recount how Tituba’s testimony escalated fears by describing the devil, other alleged witches, and strange creatures, and by implicating Good and Osborne while claiming coercion. We also touch on the suspects’ jailing arrangements, a village meeting pushing separation from Salem Town, and reports of spectral affliction, a “beast” sighting, and Good’s brief escape attempt. 00:00 A Tense Day Begins 00:23 Arrests and Witch Marks 00:54 Hearing Setup and Recorders 01:27 Sarah Good Examined 02:46 Sarah Osborne Questioned 03:35 Tituba Breaks and Confesses 07:00 Specters and Strange Creatures 08:57 Jail and Village Politics 09:41 More Reports and Closing Tease Sign the petition to exonerate Massachusetts witch trial victims Find My Massachusetts Legislators The Thing About Witch Hunts / About Salem YouTube channel ⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub Salem Witch Trials Daily Course Week 7: Families, Geography, and the Machinery of Accusation, February 9-15, 2026 ⁠The Thing About Salem ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts ⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt ⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience ⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection

    10 min
  8. How did the Salem Witch Trials start?

    6D AGO

    How did the Salem Witch Trials start?

    How did the Salem Witch Trials Start? It's early March 1692, and Salem Village is about to change forever. In this episode of The Thing About Salem, we cover the explosive first week of the Salem Witch Trials, from the very first arrests to the courtroom confessions that transformed a local crisis into a full-blown witch hunt. The episode opens with a recap of the pivotal final days of February 1692, when a physician's diagnosis, a desperate folk magic ritual, and a gathering of ministers set the stage for what was coming. By February 29, the waiting was over. Complaints were filed, warrants were issued, and three women were headed to examination. March 1, 1692 marks a critical  moment in the Salem Witch Trials. Magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin questioned the accused in the packed Salem Village meeting house, and what happened inside those walls would send shockwaves through Massachusetts Bay Colony and fuel months of accusations to come. The episode traces events day by day through March 7, showing exactly how a handful of afflicted girls, a contested diagnosis, and one dramatic confession set an entire province on edge. In this episode: The witch cake and what it was meant to do The first complaints and arrest warrants of the Salem Witch Trials The examinations of Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn, and Tituba before magistrates Hathorne and Corwin Tituba's confession and the Devil's book with nine signatures Why the debate over spectral evidence mattered Day-by-day events from March 1 through March 7, 1692 Links Salem Witch Trials Daily Videos & Course The Thing About Salem Website ⁠The Thing on YouTube⁠! ⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts Website Sign the Petition: MA Witch Hunt Justice Project www.massachusettswitchtrials.org Support the nonprofit End Witch Hunts Podcasts and Projects ⁠Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt ⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience ⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege ⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection

    21 min
See All (104)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The Thing About Salem is your resource for in-depth coverage of the Salem Witch Trials, the largest outbreak of witchcraft accusations in American history. Witch trial descendants and experts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack examine a different “thing” about the Salem Witch-Hunt in each new conversational episode, uncovering a topic, person, or place associated with the witch hunt of 1692-1693. 15-minutes a week is all you need to have all your Salem Witch Trials questions answered. Were there any witches in Salem? #witchcraft #truecrime #Tituba #puritans #newengland #popculture #history

Information

  • Creator
    Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    104
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack
  • Show Website
    The Thing About Salem