Salem

## **A Brief History of Salem**

New England is an area of the United States full of history, both fascinating and at times macabre. There are plenty of towns like Jerusalem’s Lot, Innsmouth and Stepford that seemingly vanished off the map without a trace or any sort of warning(though all three were actually destryoed to prevent various threats within them). But even the longer-lasting and at times fairly lively towns of Derry, Haven, Blithe Hollow, Silent Hill, Eastwick or Oakhaven have histories that are almost mystical, generally complex, sometimes bloody and often tragic.

However, none of New England’s towns bear the notoriety of the town of Salem, Massachusetts. First settled in the 17th century, Salem earned its reputation during the events of the Salem witch trials. These trials saw many residents of the town falsely accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death by hanging or by burning at the stake. Historians believe that the bulk of these accusations were made as a result of the actions of Abigail Williams, out of a desire to hide an affair she had with one of the townsfolk whom ultimately was executed during the trials and also to hide her own true nature as a witch. Regardless, quite a few innocent people would be executed as a result of these trials.

However, this does not mean Salem is or was free of supernatural influences. Even in the time of the witch trials, there were genuine practitioners of magic living among the predominantly Puritan population. The most infamous of these were the evil Sanderson sisters, who were executed by Salem residents the same year as the trials themselves. There were other genuinely evil witches present in Salem as well, such as the coven known as the Lords of Salem, the Queen of Thorns, Jennifer and Daniel Lake, and Abigail Williams herself. As one might expect, these individuals worked to manipulate the witch trials for their benefit, ensuring they would not be targeted for persecution and instead focusing attention on their enemies. Additionally, at least one descendent of a victim of the trials would be involved in a prominent haunting in Harrisville, Rhode Island. There were also more benevolent witches and magical practitioners present in Salem at this time. A prominent coven in New Orleans, the Bishop family and many families that practice magic in nearby locales such as Istwick all trace ancestry back to (generally peaceful) witches and warlocks whom had fled Salem seeking to avoid persecution at the hands of the perpetrators of the trials or the malevolent witches who had a presence in the town. Some of these figures would survive for centuries to come, most notably Gillian Holroyd and Violet, the daughter of the slave Tituba who was among the first accused of practicing witchcraft.

It has been theorized that Salem is a center of magical power and influence, one so powerful even those with no talent for it can to an extent detect it. Given the prevalence of both genuine magic practitioners and fear surrounding them, this is a reasonable theory. It is perhaps because of this the town of Salem is home to such sites as the Salem Witches’ Institute and the Tower of Fate and MACUSA elected to hold the centennial Witches’ Convocation in the town. Rumors indicate that the town’s surroundings allow access to other realms, including both of the supernatural Halloweentowns (one of which is infamous for its role in the 1993 Christmas nightmare), the legendary realm of Narnia, the fabled Land of Oz and several potential afterlives (most notably the locations known only as “the good place” and “the bad place,” as well as the otherworldly Corbenic). Monster hunters of various stripes often make their way to Salem seeking out supernatural phenomena and their quarry have been known to exploit their preconceptions surrounding Salem for their own ends—for instance, St. Vladimir’s Academy deliberately attempted to hide its true location by hinting it was hidden in the vicinity of Salem to would-be vampire slayers. Despite its past reputation, the town in the modern age has become somewhat of a fixture of supernatural forces and influences—a hub of sorts to the rest of New England’s scattered towns that harbor unusual secrets just beneath the surface. Given the myriad of such towns in the surrounding areas (only a handful of which have been previously mentioned), it is hard to dispute the notion that Salem might very well be at the core of it all.

### **References-A Brief History of Salem**

Jerusalem’s Lot-Town where the events of ‘Salem’s Lot are set. Town is overrun by vampires at the end of the novel

Innsmouth-Town from the Cthulhu Mythos. Is destroyed by the government at the end of A Shadow Over Innsmouth (an event that led to the creation of Delta Green in the latter’s backstory)

Stepford-The town where The Stepford Wives is set

Derry-The town Pennywise attacks in It

Haven-The setting of the TV series of the same name, full of people who inherit unique “troubles” that act up every so often

Blithe Hollow-A very Salem-esque town where Paranorman is set

Silent Hill-The setting of the video games bearing the same name, home to a cult

Eastwick-The town where The Witches of Eastwick reside

Oakhaven-Another Salem-like town from Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost.

Hide an affair-Not an actual factor in the Salem witch trials, but an element of the plot of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

Sanderson sisters-The trio of villainous witches from Hocus Pocus

Lords of Salem-The villains of the film of the same name

Queen of Thorns-The only genuinely evil magic entity from the comic book Salem: Queen of Thorns

Jennifer and Daniel Lake-Witches from I Married a Witch.

Abigail Williams-The idea of Williams being a genuine witch is present in Witches!: The Musical and the comic book The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, as well as the unrelated live action Disney film of the same name.

Prominent haunting-The descendent is Bathsheba, a ghost responsible for the events in the original film of The Conjuring

Coven in New Orleans-The coven of witches in American Horror Story: Coven

Bishop family-A prominent family of witches from A Discovery of Witches, whom are ancestors of the main character

Istwick-The setting of the film The Covenant, centering on several families of magic-empowered young men descended from witches who fled Salem

Gillian Holroyd-The female lead of the film Bell, Book and Candle

Violet-Daughter of Tituba from the Nightwing arc Bride and Groom who is capable of draining the life force of others

Salem Witches’ Institute-Wizarding school mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Tower of Fate-The sanctum of Doctor Fate from DC Comics

Centennial Witches’ Convocation-The event that incites the plot of the Salem Saga episodes of the TV series Bewitched

Halloweentowns-One is the town from the films of the same name, the other (the infamous one) is the one where The Nightmare Before Christmas is set

Realm of Narnia-The setting of the Chronicles of Narnia

Land of Oz-The setting of the Wizard of Oz

“The good place”, “the bad place”-The afterlife depicted in The Good Place, which here is one of several potential afterlives.

Corbenic-The afterlife depicted in SCP-2922 and tie-ins on the SCP Foundation Wiki

St. Vladimir’s Academy-The titular school for vampires in the Vampire Academy series