The Salem Witch Trials Podcast takes a fast-paced and episodic examination of the witch hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The brief yet insightful episodes harness the knowledge of experts to help illuminate both the chronology of events as well the deeper context surrounding the witch crisis, giving listeners a better understanding of this fascinating and tragic event in early American history.
Season 2 of The Salem Witch Trials Podcast is coming. We go beyond the timeline of 1692 to explore the deeper forces that shaped the crisis. From war to religion to community tensions to psychology to power, join us as we further uncover the reasons why this tragic event took place, why it mattered then, and why it still matters today.
Experience The Putnams of Salem in a whole new way. Narrated by author Greg Houle and his daughter Addy, the audiobook brings to life the haunting and twisted tale of Thomas and Ann Putnam Jr. who are Greg and Addy's real-life ancestors at the heart of the Salem witch crisis.
And stay tuned for Season 2 of The Salem Witch Trials Podcast is coming very soon!
In the last episode of season one, we reflect on what we've learned so far. And look ahead to season two.
Long the subject of whispers and suspicion, Wilmot Redd lived miles from the witch hysteria’s epicenter in Salem Village. Yet, as paranoia spread in the spring of 1692, she got caught in its grip, condemned not by evidence, but by growing fear.
Ann Pudeator was a twice-widowed caregiver whose independence and outsider status made her a target during the Salem witch trials. We explore how this elderly, independent woman stoked societal fears, and reveal how deeply the patriarchy influenced the witch hysteria in 1692. As well as how courageously Ann stood her ground until the end.
We're joined by Annika Hylmö, the writer and director of The Last Witch, a documentary currently in production that follows a North Andover teacher and her middle school students in their campaign to exonerate Elizabeth Johnson Jr., the last person convicted during the Salem witch trials.
By all accounts, Mary Easty was a pious and well-respected woman. Yet she was swept up in the witch hunt anyway. Her unwavering declarations of innocence, brave defense, and heartfelt fight against further bloodshed left a lasting legacy, even as she became one of the final victims of the hysteria.
George Jacobs Sr., a fiery-tempered and outspoken man more than 80 years old, finds himself at the center of the witch hunt. His sharp tongue and abrasive personality made him an easy mark in a community gripped by fear.
Elizabeth Howe seemed just like any other hard-working Puritan in seventeenth-century New England, but her past came back to haunt her once the witch crisis exploded in the spring of 1692. Her tragic story highlights the fear and scapegoating that fueled the witch hysteria.
An early settler of Salisbury, Massachusetts, Susannah Martin's reputation, as well as a series of accusations made against her earlier in her life, meant that she was destined to become a target of the witch hunt.
We discuss how the frontier town of Andover, MA, located a dozen miles west of Salem, gets caught up in the growing witch hysteria in 1692. We're joined by Martha Tubinis, director of programs at the Andover Center for History and Culture, and Toni Armstrong, a PhD candidate in the History of Art and Architecture at Boston University, and a Weekend Research Assistant at the Andover Center for History and Culture.
We explore the life and legacy of Martha Carrier, the first Andover resident accused of witchcraft in 1692. We’re joined by Carrier’s descendant, Alice Markham-Cantor, author of The Once and Future Witch Hunt: A Descendant’s Reckoning from Salem to the Present.
The way we learn history today is evolving. In this episode, we're joined by Emily Wolff, a history grad student who shares videos about the Salem witch trials on TikTok (@history_with_Emily). We discuss the challenges and opportunities of educating audiences on social media, and what it might mean for the future.
It’s our one year anniversary and we’re celebrating with a great discussion, recorded before a live audience at the Danvers Historical Society’s Tapley Memorial Hall in downtown Danvers, MA (formerly known as Salem Village) on September 30, 2024. The panelists include:
The Salem witch trials are filled with strange and tragic stories. But few are as strange or as tragic as that of Roger and Mary Toothaker and their family.
Host Greg Houle's book, The Putnams of Salem: A Novel of Power and Betrayal During the Salem Witch Trials, is now available. In this short bonus episode, he talks about the novel.
Host Greg Houle explores the role his own ancestors, the Putnam family, played in fueling the witch crisis, investigating the complex motivations behind their actions and reflecting on how this history still resonates with us today.
While the majority of people living in Salem in 1692 were completely swept up in the witch hysteria, there were more than a few brave souls who cast a skeptical eye at what was going on. We tell some of their stories.
John Willard was both an outsider and a bit of a hustler, looking to earn wealth through land speculation. These qualities didn’t serve him well when the witch hysteria struck Salem in 1692 and John Willard found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In many ways, the Salem witch trials have taken on a life of their own over the last three centuries. In this episode, we’re joined by John Howard Smith, professor of history at Texas A&M University - Commerce, who helps us sort through the myths and realities of the witch crisis.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
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"SmartLess" with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
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