North Andover Witchcraft History Walking Tour

Everyone has heard of the 1692 Salem Witchcraft Trials but they may not realize that it is named after Salem because that is where the court was located and where people were hanged. But the trials encompassed nearly all the towns in northeastern Massachusetts. Andover, about 20 miles northwest of Salem, had 45 accusations of witchcraft that was more than any other community. The town had a population of 600 people and half of them were involved in the trials as an accuser or an accused. Join witchcraft trials expert Richard Hite, author of In The Shadow of Salem, and Carol Majahad, the former director of the North Andover Historical Society, on a fascinating tour of North Andover locations that were involved in the witchcraft trials. You will visit the old cemetery, where townspeople who experienced the trials are buried, including Rev. Francis Dane and the location of the meeting house. The Parson Barnard House, where Thomas Barnard lived after the trials, will be open for visiting after the tour. The tour meets and begins at the First Burial Ground on Academy Rd & Court St. at 11am. Every ticket includes a $5 donation to the North Andover Historical Society.