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.
Episodes
Jan 7, 2025
Jan 7, 2025
22 min
George Jacobs Sr., a fiery-tempered and outspoken man more than 80 years old, finds himself at the center of the witch hunt. His sharp tongue and abrasive personality made him an easy mark in a community gripped by fear.
Learn more about host Greg Houle's novel: The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.
Dec 18, 2024
Dec 18, 2024
23 min
Elizabeth Howe seemed just like any other hard-working Puritan in seventeenth-century New England, but her past came back to haunt her once the witch crisis exploded in the spring of 1692. Her tragic story highlights the fear and scapegoating that fueled the witch hysteria.
Learn more about host Greg Houle's new novel: The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.
Dec 3, 2024
Dec 3, 2024
21 min
An early settler of Salisbury, Massachusetts, Susannah Martin's reputation, as well as a series of accusations made against her earlier in her life, meant that she was destined to become a target of the witch hunt.
Learn more about host Greg Houle's new novel: The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.
Nov 19, 2024
Nov 19, 2024
32 min
We discuss how the frontier town of Andover, MA, located a dozen miles west of Salem, gets caught up in the growing witch hysteria in 1692. We're joined by Martha Tubinis, director of programs at the Andover Center for History and Culture, and Toni Armstrong, a PhD candidate in the History of Art and Architecture at Boston University, and a Weekend Research Assistant at the Andover Center for History and Culture.
Learn more about the Andover Center for History and Culture. And check out their Substack, History Buzz.
Learn more about host Greg Houle's new novel: The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.
Nov 4, 2024
Nov 4, 2024
21 min
We explore the life and legacy of Martha Carrier, the first Andover resident accused of witchcraft in 1692. We’re joined by Carrier’s descendant, Alice Markham-Cantor, author of The Once and Future Witch Hunt: A Descendant’s Reckoning from Salem to the Present.
Learn more about Alice Markham-Cantor and her book at her website.
Be sure to check out host Greg Houle's new novel: The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials.