The Salem Witch Trials Podcast

It's been 334 years since the Salem witch trials. Why do these events continue to fascinate us?

In this episode, we travel to Owensboro Community and Technical College (OCTC) in Kentucky, where six students studying the witch trials share their perspectives on the people, decisions, and enduring questions surrounding the witch crisis of 1692.

The panelist from OCTC:

First group:

Mercedes Kirtley
Lorelai Kirtley
Guscilla "Gus" Johnson

Second group:

Associate Professor of Psychology Jessica Hodges
Charlie Carr
Calvin Mindrup

What did it mean to be a witch in 1692?

In this episode, we explore how the Puritans understood witches, satan, and the supernatural. And we address why those beliefs were so central to the tragedy.

----more----

Join host Greg Houle in Owensboro, Kentucky!

He'll be at Owensboro Community and Technical College for two special events:

October 19, 6:30 p.m. CT: Talking about his family's connection to the Salem witch trials.

October 20, 12:30 p.m. CT: A panel discussion with OCTC students.

Both events are free, open to the public. If you can't be there, join the livestream: https://www.facebook.com/OwensboroCTC

----more----

Learn more about Greg Houle's book, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials

What was everyday life like in Salem in 1692?

In this episode, we look beyond the witch crisis to explore the work, routines, and relationships that shaped the people at the center of the storm.

The Salem witch trials ended more than three centuries ago, but the story has never truly stopped. This episode explores how the legacy of this historical crisis has been claimed, reinvented, memorialized, commercialized, and contested across generations.

When the witch crisis of 1692 faded, Salem Village was left to live with what it had done. This episode examines how Reverend Joseph Green guided this damaged community through its long and uncertain aftermath.

Joining us is Dan Lipcan, the Ann C. Pingree Director of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum, which has in its collection the diary of Reverend Green.