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Massachusetts Takes a
Look at Its Witchcraft Past

Oct 31, 2023 1:55 PM CDT

Massachusetts Takes a Look at Its Witchcraft Past

Group seeks to clear names of all those accused of witchcraft in the 1600s

(Newser) - In 1648, Margaret Jones, a midwife, became the first person in Massachusetts—and the second in New England—to be executed for witchcraft, decades before the infamous Salem witch trials. Nearly four centuries later, the AP reports that the state and region are still working to come to grips with...

Connecticut Exonerates
Witches Hanged in 1600s

May 30, 2023 11:40 AM CDT

Connecticut Exonerates Witches Hanged in 1600s

Lawmakers pass legislation acknowledging miscarriage of justice

(Newser) - Connecticut lawmakers have voted to formally exonerate accused witches who were punished by death nearly 400 years ago. The bill introduced in January by state Sen. Saud Anwar passed the Senate with a 33-1 vote on Thursday after clearing the state House in a 121-30 vote on May 10, per...

First Colonist Executed for Witchcraft Could Be Exonerated

Long Before Salem Witch Trials,
Alse Young Was Hanged

Feb 1, 2023 9:07 AM CST

Long Before Salem Witch Trials, Alse Young Was Hanged

Connecticut considers exonerating all its accused witches centuries later

(Newser) - Decades before the infamous Salem witch trials in Massachusetts, Alse Young was killed at the gallows in Connecticut, becoming the first person on record to be executed in the American colonies for witchcraft. The Windsor town clerk registered the death on May 26, 1647, in a diary entry that read:...

After 329 Years,
a 'Witch' Is Cleared

Aug 2, 2022 8:27 AM CDT

After 329 Years, a 'Witch' Is Cleared

Elizabeth Johnson Jr. was convicted in the Salem Witch Trials

(Newser) - The last of those wrongly convicted during the Salem Witch Trials has been cleared 329 years later thanks to the hard work of a Massachusetts teacher and her eighth-grade students. They pushed to have Elizabeth Johnson Jr. exonerated of witchcraft. Johnson faced allegations along with many of her extended family...

For Sale: $975K Home
of Accused Salem 'Witch'

Dec 17, 2018 9:05 AM CST

For Sale: $975K Home of Accused Salem 'Witch'

After release from jail in 1693, Sarah Clayes settled in this Framingham house

(Newser) - A once-run-down historic home that stands where a woman accused of witchcraft during the 1692 Salem witch trials settled after she was spared the noose is on the market after an extensive renovation. The home in Framingham, Mass., known as the Sarah and Peter Clayes House, hit the market Thursday...

Old Owner Gives Up
Salem Witch-Trial House

Oct 13, 2018 3:53 PM CDT

Old Owner Gives Up Salem Witch-Trial House

John Proctor once lived in house built in 1638

(Newser) - A house where a victim of the Salem witch trials once lived is on the market for $600,000 just in time for Halloween, the AP reports. The nearly 4,000-square-foot home built in 1638 was once the home of John Proctor, who was convicted of witchcraft and hanged in...

325 Years Later, Salem 'Witches' Will Be Memorialized

Salem's 'Witches'
Finally Getting Their Due

Jul 15, 2017 1:50 PM CDT

Salem's 'Witches' Finally Getting Their Due

City will honor them at site of hangings more than 300 years ago

(Newser) - In the late 1600s, three mass executions took place on a rocky ledge on the outskirts of Salem, Mass. Yes, the result of the witch trials. The city-owned site is undeveloped and largely out of view, but a new memorial aims to respectfully commemorate those who lost their lives because...