We examine the critical role of geography in the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. They discuss the stark contrasts between Salem Town and Salem Village, the widespread nature of the accusations, and the influence of the broader region, including the impact of the Frontier War in Maine and the significant number of accusations in Andover. They also debunk common misconceptions about the accusers' proximity and detail the physical realities of property disputes and the execution sites, emphasizing the trials' concrete historical context.

00:00 Introduction to Cotton Mather and the Salem Witch Trials

00:38 Geographical Context of Salem

00:56 Salem Town vs. Salem Village

01:51 Misconceptions About the Afflicted Girls

02:55 The Spread of Accusations

03:10 Impact of the Frontier War

03:38 Andover's Role in the Witch-Hunt

04:14 Land Disputes and Accusations

05:05 Geography of the Executions

05:48 Conclusion: Understanding the Map of 1692

⁠Bernard Rosenthal, ed., Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt

The Thing About Witch Hunts / About Salem YouTube channel

⁠Salem Witch Trials Daily Hub

Salem Witch Trials Daily Course Week 5: The Framework of Death

⁠The Thing About Salem

⁠The Thing About Witch Hunts

⁠Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience

⁠Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege

⁠Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692

Ben Wickey, More Weight: A Salem Story

Peabody Essex Museum Salem Witch Trials Collection