Notes & Notions from the Salem Witch Museum

What Happened to Abigail Williams?

On Friday during a Skype in the Classroom “virtual museum tour,” a student at Oliver Street School in Newark, New Jersey – whose class is studying Arthur Miller’s The Crucible – asked what happened to the real Abigail Williams after the trials.

While Wikipedia can offer information on a wide array of subjects, there is no reason to accept the undocumented assertion that Abigail fled after the trials, becoming a prostitute.  Reliable Salem witch trials scholars are unable to give detail about her last years with any certainty, but Marilynne Roach says in The Salem Witch Trials:  A Day-By-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege, “…Abigail Williams, haunted to the end, apparently died before the end of 1697, if not sooner, no older than seventeen.” (page 518)

According to a biographical essay published on the University of Virginia Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project:

Even though Abigail played a major role as an accuser at the beginning of the trials, especially in March, April, and May, she gave her last testimony on June 3rd 1692. There is no historical documentation suggesting why Abigail virtually disappeared from the court hearings. In addition, there are no records indicating what happened to Abigail after the events of 1692. It is suggested that she never married and died a single woman, but without any evidence we will never be quite certain.

Word of the Day: Friggatriskaidekaphobia

Definition: A morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th.

From Wikipedia: The fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia (Frigga being the name of the Norse goddess for whom “Friday” is named and triskaidekaphobia meaning fear of the number thirteen.

January Spruce Up 2012 Hours

Every year in January we close for business for a few days to scrub, paint and refresh.  Here is our schedule, but feel free to call us with questions at (978)744-1692.

1/3/12 Tuesday     CLOSED

1/4/12 Wednesday     CLOSED

1/5/12 Thursday     CLOSED

1/6/12  Friday     CLOSED

1/7/12 Saturday     Open 10am – 5pm

1/8/12 Sunday    Open 10am – 5pm

Happy 2012! January Hours

Saturday, Dec. 31st:  10am – 3pm

Sunday, Jan. 1st:  CLOSED

Monday, Jan. 2nd:  10am – 5pm

Tuesday, Jan. 3rd – Friday, Jan. 6th:  CLOSED for renovations

Saturday, Jan. 7th and Sunday, Jan. 8th:  10am – 5pm

Monday, Jan. 9th – Thursday, Jan. 12th: CLOSED for renovations

Reopen regular hours, Friday, Jan. 13th:  10am to 5pm

For more information call  (978) 744-1692

Wishing you a happy, healthy new year!

2011 Winter Holiday Hours

Saturday, December 24^th :  10am to 3pm

Sunday, December 25^th :  CLOSED

Saturday, December 31^st :  10am to 3pm

Sunday, January 1^st :  CLOSED

Christmas in Salem 2011

Enjoy a 20% discount in our museum store December 1-24 with coupon.  Choose from educational materials on Salem’s history and modern-day witchcraft to attractive apparel and just-for-fun items!  Admission to the museum presentation is not necessary to visit our store.  For more information feel free to call the Salem Witch Museum at 978-744-1692.

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Pairpoint Witch Balls

Dating back to the 18^th Century, hollow glass balls have been hung to ward off witch’s spells and evil spirits.  Legend has it that the evil spirit is attracted to these colorful balls, pulled inside, and trapped within the glass web protecting the home from harm.  It is told on Cape Cod that fishermen have used these mesmerizing balls in their nets to ward off evil spirits on the high seas.  Each Pairpoint Witch Ball is individually made and colored.

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*Happy Holidays*

Modern Manners

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