The Salem Witch Trials Podcast
The Salem Witch Trials Podcast takes a fast-paced and episodic examination of the witch hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The brief yet insightful episodes harness the knowledge of experts to help illuminate both the chronology of events as well the deeper context surrounding the witch crisis, giving listeners a better understanding of this fascinating and tragic event in early American history.
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Episodes
Friday Feb 27, 2026
Friday Feb 27, 2026
WE'RE BACK!In the first episode of our second season, we trace the story of Tituba, an enslaved Indigenous woman and the first person accused of witchcraft in 1692. With the help of historian Matt Alschbach, we examine her story within the broader context of seventeenth-century folk medicine, race, and Puritan theology, exploring how fear breeds suspicion, and how suspicion so often settles on the margins.
If you’re interested in joining host Greg Houle for his live online course, The Salem Witch Trials: Fear, Myth & Meaning, you can register here.
You can also explore Greg Houle’s historical novel, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.
Wednesday Nov 26, 2025
Wednesday Nov 26, 2025
Season 2 of The Salem Witch Trials Podcast is coming. We go beyond the timeline of 1692 to explore the deeper forces that shaped the crisis. From war to religion to community tensions to psychology to power, join us as we further uncover the reasons why this tragic event took place, why it mattered then, and why it still matters today.
Learn more about host Greg Houle's novel: The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.
Friday Oct 10, 2025
Friday Oct 10, 2025
Experience The Putnams of Salem in a whole new way. Narrated by author Greg Houle and his daughter Addy, the audiobook brings to life the haunting and twisted tale of Thomas and Ann Putnam Jr. who are Greg and Addy's real-life ancestors at the heart of the Salem witch crisis.
Get The Putnams of Salem on Audible
And stay tuned for Season 2 of The Salem Witch Trials Podcast is coming very soon!
Thursday Mar 27, 2025
Thursday Mar 27, 2025
In the last episode of season one, we reflect on what we've learned so far. And look ahead to season two.
You can contact host Greg Houle at greg@theputnamsofsalem.com
Learn more about host Greg's novel: The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.
Monday Mar 03, 2025
Monday Mar 03, 2025
Long the subject of whispers and suspicion, Wilmot Redd lived miles from the witch hysteria’s epicenter in Salem Village. Yet, as paranoia spread in the spring of 1692, she got caught in its grip, condemned not by evidence, but by growing fear.