Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tours & Salem Historical Tours

08/30/2024

Salem Historical Tours is located at 8 Central Street, home of the 1805 U.S. Custom House. Built for William S. Gray and Benjamin H. Hathorne, local merchants. The eagle design above the door is by Salem native Samuel McIntyre (1757-1811). Circa 1830 the NY Times dropped the long "S" changing the style of typeface on the sign.

08/29/2024

On this day in 1692, Andover's William Barker testified in court in Salem before judges Gedney, Hathorne, Corwin and Higginson. He said the devil had come to him three years earlier disguised as a black man with one cloven foot. He said the devil's plan was to replace Christianity with Devil worship, starting with Salem Village because the townsfolk were divided amongst their reverend.
Then he said there were over 300 witches in the area that sent the judges into an absolute panic.

08/28/2024

Salem Literary Festival September 4-8, 2024. The festival features local and regional published authors. Salem has a rich literacy history. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was born on Herbert St. and author of The Scarlet Letter (1850), The House of The Seven Gables (1851). The festival is looking forward to the future, including new events this year, Sensory Sensitive Story Time and Crafting an Audio Book.

08/27/2024

The fierce eye of the eagle is watching over you at the 1819 U.S. Custom House, Derby Wharf, Salem. Designed by Joseph True (1785-1873) reminding all those who entered the wharf to pay their taxes and tariffs, the eagle eye was upon them. The original eagle was removed in 2003 and replaced with a fiberglass version. The newly restored original eagle is on display at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site.

08/26/2024

John Ward House was built circa 1685 with an expanded kitchen built during the summer of 1692. Life did not stand still during the Salem WitchCraft Trials for John Ward, a leather maker. The house, post medieval design, is currently located at 9 Brown St., but was originally 3 blocks away located directly near the 1692 jail.

08/25/2024

On this day in 1692, Constable Foster escorted the five daughters of Goody Bridges from Andover to Salem. They were accused of tormenting their step cousin Martha Sprague.
They all confessed but their stories were different. They said the devil appeared to them as a pig, cat, yellow bird, white bird and a bear. Also a dark man who claimed to be Jesus.
None of them hanged

08/24/2024

Now that we are getting closer to the fall, you need help planning your trip to Salem and the area around it. Go to ToursOfSalem.com for some links to local tours and attractions. Click on the destinations tab for info on Boston and Gloucester. Click on the blogs for helpful information on picking a tour, traveling to Salem and the top 12 myths about the witchcraft trials. Salem Chamber Destination Salem, Massachusetts Visit Massachusetts North of Boston

08/24/2024

👻FRIDAY THE 13TH👻

Why is it bad luck for a black cat to cross your path?Why do we throw salt over our shoulders? We still knock on wood, avoid walking under ladders and cringe if we break a mirror. Learn about the origins of myths and superstitions and their influence on modern society.

Book now at www.salemhistoricaltours.com - Myths & Superstitions tour!

08/23/2024

Redhead Days will be held August 23-25, 2024 in Tilburg, the Netherlands.
Redheads for centuries throughout the world have been both honored and feared by many, and associated with witchcraft. As far as we know a redhead does not have flame colored hair due to magical powers. The MC1R gene is the science behind the red hair witch.

About The Redhead Days festival is a gathering of tens of thousands of people in the city center of Tilburg, including many thousands of redheads from over 80 countries. It is the oldest, largest, and most spectacular redhead festival in the world. Our philosophyThe festival is based on three core v...

08/22/2024

Dive into the chilling tales of Salem's past on our spooky walking tours! Join us daily this summer for a hauntingly memorable journey through Salem's history. Don't miss out on the thrills and chills—reserve your spot now, link in bio!

08/21/2024

Are you ready for the 2cd Annual Ken Perrone Witches Cauldron Classic on September 14, 2024? This year held at Historic Doyle Field in Brewer, ME. Last year the Salem Witches HS Football won 6-0 against the Brewer Witches of Maine.

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08/20/2024

Sails & Trails is back in Salem 2024. Visit Greenlawn Cemetery founded in 1807 on Saturday,Sept. 14 at 57 Orne St. Explore the F. Carroll Sargent Arboretum full of history and nature including the newly restored 1894 Dickinson Memorial Chapel. Learn more at: https://trailsandsails.org/events/for-the-love-of-trees-vi-history-and-nature

08/19/2024

Have you heard of the legendary paranormal villain “The Witch of Rose Hall” in Jamaica? Johnny Cash sang of her in his 1973 song “The Ballad of Annie Palmer.” “At night I hear you riding, and I hear your lover’s call. And I still can feel your presence round the Great House at Rose Hall.” A twisted tale of Annie Palmer said to have murdered 3 husbands, terrorized plantation workers, killed in retribution 1834, condemning her spirit. The story fits all the duppy (ghost) story criteria, voodoo (obeah), s*x, death, black magic. Some believe Annie never existed, others believe it is mistaken identity. The property was investigated by Ghost Hunters in 2010 and waterfall on the property was used in James Bond “Live and Let Die” Baron Samedi’s sacrificial Voodoo ritual. Johnny Cash does have a Salem connection, William Cash (1625 Fife, Scotland) (1690 Salem, Ma) Master Mariner buried in the Charter Street Cemetery.

08/18/2024

Celebrate Polish Fest in Salem August 25, 2024 from 1:00 to 6PM, 28 St. Peter’s Street, Salem, MA.

The Polish immigrants of the early 1900’s helped build the city of modern day Salem. A vital part of the workforce in the cotton mills on the wharfs near today Derby Street after the maritime industry faded away. St. Joseph Hall was built in 1909 to help the new immigrants become established in Salem. By the 1920’s Polish Industrial Bankers operated in what is today, the Historic Derby Street neighborhood.

08/16/2024

Join u on our Hocus Pocus Movies and More tour and explore Salem - Tours going on daily book yours now before they fill up! 🌟

www.salemhistoricaltours.com

08/15/2024

Another one of the free things to do in Salem is to check out the murals at Artists Row.
A dozen artists demonstrated their ability during the Salem Arts Festival in June. You will find many interpretations of Salem in this display located in Artists Row that is off of Front Street.

Salem Historical Tours and Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour is proud to have sponsored the murals!

08/14/2024

Another free thing to do in Salem is to take a stroll through the Punto Urban Art Museum.
It’s a mission-driven art program with the goal of breaking down invisible socio-economic barriers.The open air museum contains 75 large scale murals featuring 40 global and 25 New England-based artists. You can walk through on your own. Or go to their link to sign up for a tour or to donate.
https://puntourbanartmuseum.org/

08/12/2024

Take our Haunted Footsteps Ghost tour. You’re guaranteed to see a ghost if our dead tour guide, Fred, is working the ticket desk. His full name is Frederick Kasper Kronenshieldt. He gave tours about the Revolutionary War in the early 1800s because, well, he actually lived through it. He was present at Leslie’s Retreat in Salem and also escaped death at the Battle of Bunker Hill as a musket ball narrowly missed him when it passed between his legs.
He then served on the privateer Black Prince alongside his cousin Lt Benjamin Crowninshield. He is a distant relative to the Crowninshield family. After the war, he was an assistant cook on America’s first yacht, Cleopatra’s Barge, that was owned by George Crowninshield Jr.
Fred died in 1852 when he ate an oyster on a dare at a dinner at Hamilton Hall that was catered by John Remond. He had an allergic reaction and died.

08/10/2024

The Witch City Gift Shop is happy to announce that we are selling Joray Fruit Roll Ups that is the original fruit rollup started in Brooklyn.
These Fruit Roll Ups are a Lebanese treat known as amardeen. Their amardeen was made from an apricot paste, which was handmade, pressed, dried into a sheet and sold by the pound. In 1960, the first fruit rolls were sold. Apricot only! But now they come in raspberry, grape, apple, sour apple, watermelon and pineapple.
The product goes all the way back to George Shalhoub who left Lebanon penniless and headed to America seeking the American Dream in 1886. His dream was to pursue his passion of baking and confections and introduce the unique confections of Lebanon to America.
Come on by our shop at 8 Central Street and partake of this great treat..

08/09/2024

Don't forget Salem Historical Tours will be offering Salem Witch Trials Ancestry and Descendants Tour at 11 AM this Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

Join us and learn where the Ancestors of 1692 are joined into modern day 2024. Is it possible the Magic Kingdom was due to Witchcraft 1692?

08/09/2024

Here’s another blast from the past. This photo was taken in 2021 by a guest in the Ropes Mansion Garden. Is this something being illuminated by the bright light on the church or is it a glowing orange orb?
The guest saw something move and took a picture. Some believe it is an apparition and claim to see a face.

08/07/2024

Five years ago today, the Kellers took these photos in the Ropes Garden on our tour. The pictures were taken in succession and show someone standing there in one frame and not the other. Not enough time had elapsed for a person to exit the frame.
So what is this? Is this a ghost? Is it someone in a colonial outfit with breeches and a tri-corner hat?
(NOTE: We lightened the photos to make it easier to view)

08/06/2024

Here is a photo from our files going all the way back to spring 2021. Jesse captured this anomaly over a bench in the Ropes Mansion Garden. This bench has had lots of strange pictures associated with it. Is this just an issue with the camera or was something captured in the shot?

08/05/2024

🎃👻 Don't wait until the last minute! Get your Halloween gear now and be ready for the spookiest season of the year! 🕷️🕸️🦇

Shop also available online at: www.witchcitygiftshop.com

08/04/2024

Now that it is August, I love to sit outside with a good book. I especially love going to the Ropes Mansion Garden, grabbing a book from the little library and floating over a bench as I read it. The garden is beautiful. Try it some time - Fred

08/03/2024

One of the free things to do in Salem is to check out the murals at Artists Row.
A dozen artists demonstrated their ability during the Salem Arts Festival in June. You will find many interpretations of Salem in this display located in Artists Row that is off of Front Street.
Salem Historical Tours and Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour is proud to have sponsored the murals.

08/02/2024

On August 1st in 1692, Increase Mather and several other ministers met at the Harvard College Library to discuss the possibility that Devils could disguise themselves as innocent persons. They unanimously agreed it was possible but concluded it was rare and even less likely in cases that eventually reached the court. They urged Mather to make a thorough examination of spectral evidence. The ministers were powerless to do anything more.

08/01/2024

The second stage of a paranormal investigation at our tour company office was held Tuesday night, July 20. And there was something strange in our neighborhood.
The Ess*x County Ghost Project set up around 8 pm and we went until 11 pm. They set up four cameras and brought several meters, recorders, spirit boxes, etc...

They are trying to determine what and whom are there. Just about everyone who works in our building has had some issue. The team detected anomalies during the investigation. But there’s a lot of footage to go through as well as recordings. The findings will be revealed by the end of August.

We'll let you know just how haunted the Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour really is!

07/30/2024

August 3, 2024 at 11:00 AM the Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta sets sail as the opening event at Derby Wharf for the Salem Maritime Festival. Watch the race of Cardboard boats with Captains, Crew and Passengers. It's fun to start your day in Salem. Ahoy!

07/29/2024

Harry Houdini escapes from Salem Jail on Front St., 1906. Born Eric Weisz in 1874 Hungry, he performed many times in Salem before his death on Halloween in Detroit, 1926. Mr. Houdini was a member of The Society of American Magicians Witch City Assembly 104 New England region.