This is from the Salem Witch list and has some interesting links.
Subject: Re: [SALEM-WITCH] Going to Salem
Adrienne,
I do an annual pilgrimage to Salem. Yes, some of Salem is tacky like a
decades-old B-rated horror movie set, some of the tourist traps haven't been
updated in years, and some of the information is inaccurate, but it's still
a fascinating and moving experience. None of the buildings associated with
the witch trials---the court rooms, the meeting-house, the jail---remain.
We've taken walking tours and trolley tours and been to many of the witch
"museums" and a couple of live performances. Start at the National Park
Service visitor center (the old armory) to get your bearings. I've heard
they have a good witch movie, but I don't know if it is playing off-season
(aka not Halloween time). I'd probably recommend the Salem Witch Museum (the
one that looks like a gothic church near the town green). The wax museum and
the Witch History Museum are so dated. The Witch Dungeon Museum has a live
re-enactment of a trial (Sarah Good's maybe?) and owns a beam from the
original jail, not much of a relic really, and the recreated dungeon is
creepy but the mannequins are so bad. Definitely go to the Witch Memorial.
It's a solemn place despite being located by a bunch of tourist attractions.
There's controversy over where Gallows Hill was. The town did try to
obliterate much of the witch trial past. But this is a interesting video
about where the real site may be. I've heard some witch scholars say the
same place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNr2SV_t0l8
Danvers (aka Salem Village) has a memorial and other sites as well. See map:
http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/tour/danvers.shtml
Susannah Martin's marker in Amesbury:
http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/tour/amesbury.shtml
I wrote about Salem tourism here:
http://www.examiner.com/article/salem-recreates-the-1692-witch-hysteria
Salem tourism:
http://www.salem.org/
NPS visitor center
http://www.nps.gov/sama/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm#CP_JUMP_80056
Salem Witch Museum
http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/
Documents specific to Susannah here:
http://famhist2.blogspot.com/2009/03/murder-in-salem.html
http://historyofmassachusetts.org/susannah-martin-accused-witch-from-salisbu
ry/
Have a great trip.
---Robin M
www.genealogyink.com