Visiting In October Corwin House

Table Of Content

• History
• Self-guided Tour of The Witch House
• This spooky driving tour of L.A. ‘witch’ houses lets you celebrate Halloween safely
• Gerard Colcord-Designed Studio City Retreat Lists for $4.99 Million in California
• Sioux City’s Tastiest Treat! Historic 1894 Chocolate Mansion Lists for $825K
• Architecture Spotlight: Storybook homes sprang from Hollywood’s imagination
• CONTACT US:MAIL:310 1/2 Essex Street Salem, Massachusetts  01970epeterson@salem.com

Corwin bought it in 1675 when he was 35, and he lived there for more than 40 years; the house remained in the Corwin family until the mid 19th century. It is located at 310 Essex Street at the intersection of North Street and Summer Street in the McIntire Historic District. Corwin was called upon to investigate the claims of diabolical activity when a surge of witchcraft accusations arose in Salem Village (now Danvers) and neighboring communities.

History

Among the judges who convicted the witches (based on “spectral evidence,” evidence based upon dreams or visions) was Jonathan Corwin. As a local magistrate and civic leader, Corwin was called upon to investigate the claims of diabolical activity when a surge of witchcraft accusations arose in Salem and neighboring communities. Corwin served on the Court of Oyer and Terminer, which ultimately sent nineteen to the gallows. All 19 refused to admit to witchcraft and maintained their innocence. To learn about the history of the Witch House, I actually had to do a lot of digging online to find out anything about it. The house was built in the mid 1670s for Captain Richard Davenport who then moved to Boston before he finished building it.

Self-guided Tour of The Witch House

He took the place of Judge Nathaniel Saltonstall, who resigned after the execution of Bridget Bishop. The Witch House, as it is now known, was his home and is the only structure still standing in Salem, Massachusetts with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of 1692. The house was bought by Judge Corwin in 1675, when he was 24 years old, and he lived there for more than forty years. Decorations for Halloween at the annual Haunted Happenings event held during the month of October in celebration of the town's history of witch trials. The poppet is accompanied by sign explaining that a similar doll was found in the walls of Bridget Bishop‘s house. None of the items in the case belonged to anyone involved in the witch trials and they weren’t found in this house, but they’re very interesting nonetheless.

This spooky driving tour of L.A. ‘witch’ houses lets you celebrate Halloween safely

“Oh, it’s just a little tight due to the rain,” the woman inthe gift shop told me as I wandered inside. I pulled again, this time tugging harder before the door burst open, and I was thrown back in shock. As I approached the 17th-century house, its black exterior, multiple gables and prominent brick chimney placed right in the centre made it stand out against all others nearby.

Gerard Colcord-Designed Studio City Retreat Lists for $4.99 Million in California

In 1675, Davenport sold the partially constructed house to Judge Jonathan Corwin who then completed it and moved in with his wife and children. My biggest complaint about the self-guided tour is that there is almost no context for the objects in the house and no information on the history of the house itself or Jonathan Corwin. The way the house is presented, it is more of a museum about 17th century living than anything else. In the far corner there is another table with 17th century kitchen items on it, such as a brick of tea, a cone of sugar, a tea kettle, bowls and tongs. Also on the walls are signs and displays explaining the general history and events of the Salem Witch Trials. Many structures with ties to the witch trials that made it through the fire were torn down or destroyed.

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None of the items belonged to Corwin or his family and, in fact, some of the items belong to some of the witch trial victims, which made even less sense. There are also ropes draped between these objects to prevent people from walking around the rooms and a sign in one of the rooms asking people to help protect the original pine floorboards by not standing beyond the sign. The entire house consists of four large rooms, two on each floor, with a small foyer in between them. The floors are made of old pine floorboards and all of the rooms in the house have exposed wooden beams on the ceiling and walls, which is really quite beautiful. The walls are white and the dark wood beams contrast really nicely against them.

Architecture Spotlight: Storybook homes sprang from Hollywood’s imagination

Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. In 2011, the Ghost Adventures crew featured the Witch House during season 4.[7] The Witch House also appears in the opening scenes of the movie Hocus Pocus 2, which takes place in 1653. It's unknown if historical emphasis was placed on creating the opening scenes.

The interior of the house was dark, and the floors creaked as I walked over to the gift shop counter. Even sitting next to the historic district, the Witch House still seemed out of place. After snapping a few photos of the iconic and aesthetically pleasing exterior, I headed towards the entrance at the back of the house inside the tiny gift shop. Along with his friend and fellow judge John Hathorne, Judge Corwin presided over many of the examinations of the accused and their accusers, both before and during the trials.

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These bottles were full of hair, fingernails and urine from everyone living in the home. The Salem witchcraft trials took place between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused, 59 were tried, 31 were found guilty, and 20 were executed.

Historians now believe the house was instead built in 1675, which was decades after Williams was banished from Salem in 1635. There’s also another small chest by the foot of the bed with either a bowl or a chamber pot on top of it and a small bassinet at the foot of the bed. There’s also another desk by the window, sort of in the middle of the room near the door, with a mannequin next to it dressed in a 17th century dress. Despite the fact that I go to Salem often and have walked past the Witch House many times, I’ve never been inside and decided to take a tour recently to give it a review. Along the opposite wall sat a table with several books and documents from the Salem Witch Trials, including a tattered copy of Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions written by Cotton Mather. When I toured the House of the Seven Gables in Salem, I learned that women would soak their skirts in water to prevent them from catching fire when doing daily chores.

For more information on the happenings in Salem visit Destination Salem for tourism information, Haunted Happenings for all things Halloween, and Creative Collective for Salem Arts and Culture and event information. Since 2003, she has covered home design, gardening, parenting, houseplants, even youth sports. At the start of each month, get a roundup of upcoming plant-related activities and events in Southern California, along with links to tips and articles you may have missed.

The Witch House is an iconic first period house in Salem, Mass with direct ties to the Salem Witch Trials. It was the home of Jonathan Corwin who was a judge in the Salem Witch Trials. If you’re looking for more information on the subject, I highly recommend taking a local history tour. These tours will delve deeper into the insanity surrounding the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.