The Jonathan Corwin House in Salem, Massachusetts, is better known as the Witch House. Which is a little bit of a misnomer because no witches ever lived there.
However, it does have two important connections to the infamous Salem Witch Trials:
- Jonathan Corwin was a judge who investigated allegations of witchcraft. He served on the Court of Oyer and Terminer that was established to try those accused in 1692 (and which ultimately sent 19 people to their deaths).
- It is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the Salem Witch Trials.
Haunted?
Is it haunted? I don’t know. Some say it is one of the most haunted places in Salem. Ghost Adventures even investigated there. Eight of Corwin and his wife, Elizabeth’s, ten children died there. Some feel they are who’s haunting the property.
As far as paranormal activity, people have reported hearing children and being touched by them. There are also reports of sudden temperature drops and cold spots within the house.
I, sadly, did not experience any phenomenon. A cold spot would’ve been wonderful to encounter. It was brutally hot the day we jaunted to Salem. I would’ve welcomed any respite from the heat. (Well, we were able to get out of the sun while we were in the house at least. But a cold spot would’ve just been that much better.)
Haunting
However, even though I didn’t see any ghosts or any paranormal activity, the inside of the house was great. I loved seeing the 17th Century New England architecture…and artifacts.
The house is now a museum run by the City of Salem, so as much as they can they have artifacts relating to the time, as well as information about the witch trials.
I wish I had better photography skills, because they let you take non-flash pictures. I did my best to capture the essence of certain features. Here are some of my favorite shots:
The Outside
The Kitchen
Bedrooms
Artifacts
Architectural Speaking
Scariest Thing
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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The doll doesn’t look creepy to me, but the witch bottle does. It’s amazing that it survived all these years intact. The stairs look steep! I’d be holding tight to the handrail!
The doll creeped me out because it doesn’t really have any eyes. (Or are my eyes missing something?) But the stairs…I didn’t really notice their build going up (but I did hold the handrail), but coming down…those first few steps are awkward. You really have to watch your foot placement! I don’t know how my husband with his size 13s navigated them really.
Those stairs look treacherous. An accident waiting to happen or perhaps….a push from a witch.
I am SO glad I didn’t think about being pushed by a witch going down or I might’ve freaked myself out and made myself fall!