Conjuring history: Presenting the Salem witch trials to visitors

Abstract

In January of 1692, in the small village of Salem in the colony of Massachusetts, two young girls, aged 9 and 11, began having “fits.” The two girls, Betty Parris (daughter of the local preacher) and Abigail Williams, began to display odd behavior, such as convulsions, odd speech, body contortions, and acted as if they were being “bitten and pinched by invisible agents, their limbed (sic) wracked and tormented so as might move an (sic) heart of stone, to sympathize with them” (Hale, 1702 (2006), p. 413). The local doctor was called, and finding nothing physically wrong with them, concluded that the devil's hand was at work, and they were bewitched (Boyer & Nissenbaum, 1974, p. 2). The preacher and townspeople implored the girls to tell them who was hurting them, and as more girls began to display similar behavior, the two finally named Tituba, a slave living with the Parris family, and two other local women as the “witches” who were hurting them (Hill, 2002, p. 16). So begins the tale of one of the strangest episodes in American history. By the end of October of the same year, over 150 had been accused of witchcraft, 19 executed, one pressed to death for refusing to plead, and others died in jail awaiting trial. To this day, the trials are fascinating because, although we know the factual events that happened, we don't really know why as there is no universally accepted explanation (Purdy, 2007, p. 1).

Today, the city of Salem has a distinctive tourist image, including that of a sinister and macabre location where one of the most shocking and horrifying events in American history took place. This association with events and narratives surrounding death, suffering, and ghoulish folklore situates Salem as a dark tourism location. Dark tourism (as defined by Stone, 2006, p. 146) is tourism to sites associated with death, disaster, and the macabre, and is a form of tourism rapidly growing in popularity (Sharpley, 2009, p. 5). This paper investigates the story of the Salem witch trials as presented by tourist attractions in Salem, Massachusetts. Specifically, how the history of the trials is presented through live action and static historical museum displays.

Salem, Massachusetts is a small city of 42,000 located 15 miles north of Boston, in the New England area of the United States. Once America's wealthiest city, it produced America's first millionaire (Booth, 2011, p. xvi), and as the one-time largest seaport in America, it has played a substantial role in American history. Salem was founded by Puritan colonists in 1623, and early in the 18th century became the shipping capital of the young United States, until the port was no longer deep enough to accommodate newer larger ships. The decline of the shipping industry led to the rise of manufacturing during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Salem was famous for leathers, textiles, electrical products, and as the home of Parker Brothers, makers of well-known board games such as Clue (Weir, 2012, p. 188). The city is also well known as the home of prolific American author Nathanial Hawthorne, who wrote during the American Romantic Period of the mid-1800s, which was an era captivated by the strange and mysterious; yet he also had a fascination with and wrote about matters of the human heart, sin, and evil in famous works such as The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. Today, Salem is a well-heeled coastal city whose biggest industry is tourism, houses the country's oldest continually operating museum, the Peabody Essex Museum, and home to Salem State University. The main thoroughfare, Essex Street, is a pedestrian walkway lined with witch supply shops, museums, cafés, and specialty stores. Multiple museums and live theater venues tell the story of the witch trials, several historical walking tours are available, and other attractions, such as a vintage photo shop where patrons can dress as witches and have their photos taken, are available for tourist consumption. Salem Common, the town square, offers a large green space for many city events, and a marked walking trail around the city leads tourists to a variety of cultural sites related to Salem's history. It is best known, however, for the events of a single year, 1692, known as the Salem witch trials (Figures 1 and 2).

This paper examines the portrayal of the Salem witch trials across three museums in Salem. It investigates how these museums present the historical events and explores visitor perceptions of these presentations. Furthermore, it analyzes Salem's classification as a dark tourism destination within the broader American cultural landscape of macabre attractions. The study suggests that while these museums attempt to narrate the story of the witch trials, their approach may fall short of effectively conveying the true horror of the events. Instead, they risk oversimplifying or sensationalizing the trials, potentially trivializing the profound suffering of 1692. This raises questions about whether Salem's designation as a dark tourism site truly reflects a comprehensive historical representation or merely caters to a demand for eerie entertainment. Overall, the paper argues that the museums in Salem might overlook opportunities to engage visitors with a more nuanced and historically accurate account of the witch trials, thus impacting their portrayal as dark tourism attractions.

Within popular culture, the story of the trials has been heavily documented, with varying levels of accuracy. In the modern day, the film version of The Crucible (1996) starring Winona Ryder, Joan Allen, and Daniel Day Lewis presents a fictionalized version of the story, one in which one of the original accusers has an affair with a local man, and she thus unleashes powerful witchcraft accusations against him, his wife, and members of the community in retribution after he spurns her. In reality, the accuser in question, Abigail Williams, is aged 11, and the man, John Proctor, is 60, and it is not suggested in any of the literature that the two ever had a relationship or even knew each other. However, due to the popularity of the play and film, this version of events is a strong narrative in the popular imagination when it comes to the events of the witch trials. This is relevant, because popular culture portrayals of these events may impact visitor response to museums dedicated to telling the history of the events.

More recently, the Salem story was re-interpreted as a supernatural horror story for television from 2014 to 2017, called simply Salem. In this version of the events, the witches are guilty of consorting with the Devil and the show was presented as the dark, supernatural truth behind the events of 1692. However, as with many of these interpretations, the only verifiable truth presented is that people were accused of witchcraft and executed.

The story of the witch trials is presented in a number of ways in the city of Salem; through museums dedicated to the history, through ghost tours and walking history tours, and through live re-enactment performances of trial and other scenes related to the story. The Peabody Essex Museum, Salem's fine art museum, has often historically stayed away from the story of the witch trials (DeRosa, 2009, p. 164), but will be presenting a new exhibition on the trials in 2024. While the ghost and walking history tours are numerous, this paper will focus specifically on the museums dedicated to the witch trials story, one of which includes a re-enactment portion. There are three museums in town specifically devoted to the witch trials, and they have similarities and differences in how they interpret the story. These museums include the Salem Witch Museum, the Witch History Museum, and the Witch Dungeon Museum. Accompanying photos were taken (by the author) during data collection for a research project involving tourist attractions in Salem.

All of the historical representations of the witch trials were created 30 and 40 years ago and have much the same look as they did then. In an interview clip from the Witch City (1995) documentary with the owner of the Witch History Museum, where he describes how he furnished the attraction with mannequins and used clothing, scenes from the attraction are shown. These same exact scenes are what are on display today, more than 30 years later. In the context of tourism, reviews on TripAdvisor of these attractions include comments like “scenes are obviously quite old,” “cheesy,” “lukewarm tour with old mannequins,” and “amateurish presentation.” Indeed, many of the scenes are rudimentary in execution, with barely defined facial features and clothing that does not even attempt to look like something from the 17th century. Even with the expectation of “staged authenticity” (MacCannell, 1973, p. 595) and tourists understanding that the sites are obviously not authentic, the simplistic style of the scenes and lack of expertise shown in creating the dioramas show a portrayal of the witch history that is poorly executed. Travelers are savvy and demand high quality experiences and tourist attractions.

It is the story of the witch trials that fascinates us, and Salem being the only American town that has that story, people are generally willing to accept the way the story is presented. But the TripAdvisor reviews indicate their patience with outdated displays and storytelling conventions are starting to wear thin. The most well received of the attractions (review-wise) is the Witch Dungeon Museum, which does a live performance of the witch trails, along with an underground museum exhibit, which may suggest dynamic performances or exhibits are preferred over static. Culturally, this can tell us that performative pieces (including live theater, television, etc.) may be preferred over simple education about historical events. This is no surprise given that the American entertainment industry is exported more than any other culture's storytelling art. However, that also means that the bar is set high, and the lack of evolution at these museums will open the doors for other institutions to take their places (maybe—real estate is at a premium and these three attractions have very central locations). New dark tourism museums and tourist attraction offerings worldwide utilize technology and immersive experiences, and the unique story of trials offers an opportunity to more fully present the story. Examples of these types of attractions include the House of Terror in Budapest (2024), and the 360-degree Culloden battlefield experience in Scotland. These museums could employ modern technology such as augmented and virtual reality to tell the story of the trials, and the lack of updating to any of these museums in 40+ years is puzzling.

Considering these museums in relation to dark tourism, it prompts us to assess whether Salem truly qualifies as a prominent dark tourism destination. Stone (2006, p. 152) categorizes dark tourism along a spectrum ranging from profoundly dark sites like genocide memorials to more light-hearted attractions such as haunted houses or ghost tours. Salem encompasses both extremes: as a site of historical atrocity and as a tourist hub capitalizing on its grim past. Despite being a site of genuine historical tragedy, Salem is predominantly perceived in American culture as a venue for spooky entertainment rather than solemn reflection. The three witch history museums in Salem, while recounting the events of the witch trials, lean heavily towards providing “cheesy” and “amateur” displays that cater more to sensationalism than to serious historical education.

During Haunted Happenings, Salem experiences a surge in visitors, blurring the line between its identity as a site of past horrors and a contemporary destination for thrill-seekers. According to Lennon and Foley (2000, p. 6), who argue that dark tourism is a modern phenomenon, Salem might not fit neatly into this category. However, dissenting views among scholars challenge this perspective, arguing that dark tourism is not exclusively a product of modern times. Despite Salem's classification as a dark tourism site, what remains crucial is ensuring that the tourism offerings, including museum exhibits, remain competitive and engaging. Presenting the history of the witch trials through modern, interactive displays is essential to avoid trivializing the profound suffering of 1692. Failure to update these exhibits risks reducing significant historical events to mere sideshows, missing an opportunity to underscore the enduring relevance of history's lessons.

While there are varying degrees of historical accuracy in the museums, they all also portray the story in a somewhat tacky, if entertaining, commercialized presentation. Live performance of history is not unusual and can be a very effective medium with which to tell a story about the past, as is demonstrated at the Witch Dungeon Museum, but it is important that the performance itself not denigrate the real horrors suffered for the sake of entertainment. The live actors and tour guides used at the museums offer the only energetic and modern interpretations of the story, and are essential to the museums, as without them, the displays are very lackluster. Perhaps, with museum exhibits that were more up to date and carefully constructed and presented, the live actors and tour guide storytellers would not have to almost completely carry the story. The history could be presented and interpreted with historical accuracy and offer a modern appeal to tourists that come to Salem to learn the story of the trials, in an exciting and visually arresting way. Thus, the commercial operations could still be satisfied with turning a profit without their product causing people, in their reviews on TripAdvisor, to label it, and the entire industry surrounding the trials, as “corny” or a “dismal and amateurish affair.” The Salem witch trials represent a uniquely significant chapter in American history, prompting enduring and cautionary reflections on our treatment of others. Educating both tourists and locals about these events carries a profound responsibility. While incorporating entertainment elements in historical museums can enhance the presentation of history, it must be handled with sensitivity and discretion. If visitors perceive that museums are not treating the subject seriously, they may question the accuracy and sincerity of the information presented, potentially trivializing a deeply serious and horrifying history. Failing to convey the gravity of the Salem witch trials jeopardizes the integrity of dark tourism attractions, which aim to provoke reflection on distressing historical events as poignant reminders and lessons for the present and future.