Over the weekend I visited the Salem Witch House with my mom. It was amazing to see something that has been here for hundreds of years. It is the only building still standing in Salem that had to do with the 1692 witch trials. On the tour I learned that the Corwin family originally owned the house and that Judge Jonathan Corwin lived in the house for forty years. Judge Corwin was called upon to investigate the claims on the devilish activity dealing with the witchcraft accusations. The accusations came up in Salem and other neighboring communities. Corwin served on the Court of Oyer and Terminer . He sent nineteen people to the gallows. All of those nineteen people refused to admit to witchcraft and maintained their innocence. Corwin died in 1718 and is buried near the house at the Broad Street Cemetery. The house remained in the Corwin family until the mid-1800’s. In 1944 the house was almost torn down but a group of citizens raised over forty two thousand dollars needed to move and restore the building. The museum opened for the public in 1948. The house had amazing architecture because it was from the seventeenth century. It showed a lot of how the lifestyle was in the seventeenth century, the furniture, and architecture of the house was fascinating and it gave me insight into what the events were like in 1692. It lets people understand more about the lives of those who were involved in the Witchcraft trials through examination of the materials and culture of that time period. I also learned that their 552 documents on the witch trials stored and preserved in the Peabody Essex Museum. During February of 1692 Corwin and John Hathorne at the Witch House examined three accused women. John Hathorne who was an ancestor of the author Nathaniel Hawthorne is buried in the Charter Street Old Burying Point. By the time Hysteria died down twenty-four people had died. Nineteen were hanged on Gallows Hill in Salem Town, but some died in prison. Giles Corey at first pleaded not guilty to charges of witchcraft, but subsequently refused to stand trial. This refusal meant he could not be convicted legally. However, his examiners chose to subject him to interrogation by the placing of stone weights on his body. He survived this brutal torture for two days before dying. His story I have heard before, to me it is one of the most famous and it shows how he would never go against his faith to save his life and admit to being a witch. My mom and I enjoyed going to the Witch House with both thought it was a great experience and I enjoyed the history aspect of it. I look forward to seeing more historical places in Salem.
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