The Salem Witch House

There has always been something ominous and intriguing about this fabled blue-black clapboard-sided house.

The Salem Witch house in Massachusetts

Its association with witches and the dark superstitions of the early colonial settlers also lends to its haunting qualities.

The Salem Witch house in Massachusetts

Here we are, well over three hundred years later, still admiring this beguiling home.

The Salem Witch house in Massachusetts

But it hasn’t always looked this way. The house underwent several substantial renovations and then restorations over the years.

The Jonathan Corwin House, known colloquially as The Witch House, is today a historic house museum located at 310 Essex Street in Salem, Massachusetts.

The Salem Witch house in Massachusetts

Thought to be built sometime between 1620 and 1642, it was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin (1640–1718) who investigated and presided over some of the Salem Witch Trials. The house is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the witch trials of 1692.

The Salem Witch house in Massachusetts

Corwin bought the house in 1675 when he was 35, and lived there for more than 40 years. Remarkably, the home remained in the Corwin family until the mid-19th century

The Salem Witch house in Massachusetts

The dwelling is located on the corner of Essex and North Streets in Salem.

The Salem Witch house in Massachusetts

The Salem Witch house in Massachusetts

The house in its restored state is now an excellent example of 17th-century New England architecture, although historians have been unable to pinpoint an exact year when it was built.

Jonathan Corwin House

In the 1940s, the City of Salem wanted to enlarge North Street, which would have required the demolition of the old Corwin House, but a group of concerned citizens raised $42,000 to save both this house and the neighboring Bowditch House.

Jonathan Corwin House

Both houses ended up being moved about 35 feet back from their original location. The witch house was placed on a new foundation to stabilize it.

Jonathan Corwin House

Let’s have a look back through time at some historic images of the house.

Jonathan Corwin House

The un-dated drawing above depicts what the house looked like before the 19th century.

Below is how it appeared by the late 1800s.

The Salem Witch House before restoration

Yes – that is the same house!

At some point after the turn of the 20th century, a storefront addition was added:

The Salem Witch House before restoration

Here is the house – and the storefront – from another angle:

The Salem Witch House before restoration

It’s fascinating how much the shape and the roofline of the home changed over the centuries.

The Salem Witch House before restoration

As the photo above indicates, the Witch House is also known as the Roger Williams house – Williams is thought to have built and first occupied the home before Judge Jonathan Corwin purchased it.

The Salem Witch House before restoration

Below is a collage of the different iterations of the home:

The Salem Witch House before restoration

The last photo is said to have depicted the rear of the home before it was restored in the 1940s.

Here’s a closer look:

The Salem Witch House before restoration

Below is one of the last photos taken of the house before being moved and restored to its original form:

The Salem Witch House before restoration

This historic restoration began in 1944. The Witch House was completed and opened as a public museum in 1948.

Jonathan Corwin House

What a transformation!

Jonathan Corwin House

Gone is the gambrel roof – replaced with what is believed to be the original 3-gabled roofline.

Have a look inside the restored home…

inside the Jonathan Corwin House

The interior is set up to look as it would have in the 17th century

inside the Jonathan Corwin House

inside the Witch House in Salem Massachusetts

inside the Witch House in Salem Massachusetts

Visitors can get an immersive experience of what the home would have felt and looked like during the Salem Witch trials.

inside the Witch House in Salem Massachusetts

But it should be noted that historians do not believe that any of the witch trials took place in this actual house.

inside the Witch House in Salem Massachusetts

Still, it is a vivid representation of what domestic life would have been like back then.

inside the Witch House in Salem Massachusetts

inside the Witch House in Salem Massachusetts

Even if there were never any accused witches who set foot in this home, its connection to the Salem Witch Trials will always be its main draw.

Jonathan Corwin House

Apart from the witch appeal, it is just a wonderful spooky-looking old, old house.

Jonathan Corwin House

Bravo to the history-loving folks who made the restoration happen!

 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witch_House

https://www.thewitchhouse.org/

www.salemwitchmuseum.com/locations/jonathan-corwin-house/

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