History of the MuseumThe building the musem is in now was once an old church, the Second Unitarian Church, and in 1902 the church suffered from a fire that caused extensive damage, and the interior was renovated. In 1956 the East Church reunited with the First Church that was previously united with the North Church, now that these three churches were together, they no longer saw need for the Second Church and put the building up for sale. In 1959 it opened as the Salem Auto Museum and Americana Shops, the first floor holding various vintage cars and the second floor remodeled as an old Salem street with 14 shops. The auto museum and shops stayed opened until 1969 until another fire destroyed the interior yet again. Finally in 1972, after remodeling, the building opened its doors as the Salem Witch Musem and offers tours to thousands of visitors.
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The Museum ItselfBefore entering the main attraction of the museum, quests wait in a waiting area type room, where a basic history of the times is laid out. There was also a list of those afflicted during 1692, along with a short history of the witch trials. After waiting, quests are filed into a dimly lit hall with chairs and benches lining the room, and a glowing red circle in the floor with all the names of those who died during the trials. Once everyone is seated, a narration tells the story of the Salem witch trials through wax statue scenes and sounds that make the experience more intense. After the narration is over, quests are then ushered through a portion of the gift shop into a second exhibit, where a museum worker explains how the idea of witches has changed over the course of history. There are no images of either exhibits, because photography is prohibited. When the second exhibit has ended quests have a chance to look through the gift shop and exit the same way.
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