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Class Visits Salem to Learn History of Witchcraft
On Oct. 13, Ms. Nancy Spencer’s class “The Outsider Experience in American History” (nicknamed TOE) took a field trip to Salem, Mass. This upper form history elective is a discussion-based seminar which examines the experience of outsider groups in American history and recently completed reading the book: “Salem Possessed: the Social Origins of Witchcraft.”
The beautiful autumn day with perfect weather included a “Witches Walking Tour” where a personal tour guide took the class to see the original sites of the accused witches’ homes, the prison where people were held awaiting trial, graveyards and the actual site where Giles Corey was crushed to death by stones. The class also visited a memorial created in 1992, the 300th anniversary of the witchcraft trials, honoring the many innocent victims.
In the afternoon, the class attended “Cry Innocent,” a reenactment of the trial of Bridget Bishop, a young woman accused of witchcraft, which is held in the Old Town Hall of Salem. Class members served as the jury, heard historic testimonies, asked questions of the witnesses and voted on the outcome.
There also was time for shopping and exploring the many historical buildings. Those who participated in the field trip included Nancy Spencer, Ashley Jeffress, Catherine Outerbridge, Krissy Schultz, Jaime Ferrari-McComb, Whitney FitzPatrick, Kevin Boyle and Dean Paster. They had a great time.
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The beautiful autumn day with perfect weather included a “Witches Walking Tour” where a personal tour guide took the class to see the original sites of the accused witches’ homes, the prison where people were held awaiting trial, graveyards and the actual site where Giles Corey was crushed to death by stones. The class also visited a memorial created in 1992, the 300th anniversary of the witchcraft trials, honoring the many innocent victims.
In the afternoon, the class attended “Cry Innocent,” a reenactment of the trial of Bridget Bishop, a young woman accused of witchcraft, which is held in the Old Town Hall of Salem. Class members served as the jury, heard historic testimonies, asked questions of the witnesses and voted on the outcome.
There also was time for shopping and exploring the many historical buildings. Those who participated in the field trip included Nancy Spencer, Ashley Jeffress, Catherine Outerbridge, Krissy Schultz, Jaime Ferrari-McComb, Whitney FitzPatrick, Kevin Boyle and Dean Paster. They had a great time.
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