Salem In Seance

An elucidation of the Spiritualism movement in Salem in the mid-19th to the early 20th centuries. Salem, Massachusetts, is the quintessential New England town, with its cobbled streets and strong ties to the sea. With the notoriety of the Salem witch trials, the city's reputation has been irrevocably linked to the occult. However, few know the history behind the religion of Spiritualism and the social movement that took root in this romanticized land. At the turn of the century, seers, mediums and magnetic healers all hoped to connect to the spiritual world. The popularity of Spiritualism and renewed interest in the occult blossomed out of an attempt to find an intellectual and emotional balance between science and religion. Learn of early converts, the role of the venerable Essex Institute and the psychic legacy of “Moll” Pitcher. Historian Maggi Smith-Dalton delves into Salem’s exotic history, unraveling the beginnings of Spiritualism and the rise of the Witch City.

In 1692, a small village in Salem, Massachusetts, was suddenly attacked by the specters of flying witches and all manner of evil. A group of young girls began "crying out" against their neighbors and family members. By the time it was over, nineteen people were hanged, one man crushed to death, and five succumbed to the ordeal of imprisonment. Today, despite the plague of witchcraft that had inflicted England, we still look at this one isolated incident of hysteria and madness, and ask "How did this happen?" This book offers answers to that question, along with exclusive interviews with the Salem Witch Trials top experts. A focus on the paranormal activity happening in Salem is offered in The Haunting Section. You will also find a nod to Hocus Pocus and other movies. Rebecca F. Pittman is a best-selling author of 13 books, including The History & Haunting of Lizzie Borden, The History and Haunting of Salem, and many more. Her love of mysteries has found her on multiple TV and radio programs.Her website is www.rebeccafpittmanbooks.com .

American photographer Shannon Taggart (born 1977) became aware of spiritualism as a teenager when her cousin received a message from a medium that revealed details about her grandfather's death. In 2001, while working as a photojournalist, she began photographing where that message was received--Lily Dale, New York, home to the world's largest spiritualist community, proceeding to other communities in, for example, Arthur Findlay College in the UK. Taggart expected to spend one summer figuring out the tricks of the spiritualist trade. Instead, spiritualism's mysterious processes, earnest practitioners and neglected photographic history became an inspiration. Her project evolved into an 18-year journey that has taken her around the world in search of "ectoplasm"-- the elusive substance that is said to be both spiritual and material. With Séance, Taggart offers a series of haunting photographs exploring spiritualist practices in the US, England and Europe. Supported with a commentary on her experiences, a foreword by Dan Aykroyd, creator of Ghostbusters and fourth-generation spiritualist, and illustrated essays from Andreas Fischer and Tony Oursler, Séance examines spiritualism's relationship with human celebrity and its connections with technology, and concludes with the debate over ectoplasm and how spiritualism can move forward in the 21st century.

Salem Witchcraft is one of the most famous books published on the Salem Witch Trials. Author Charles Upham was a foremost scholar on the subject, as well as a Massachusetts senator. Only volume one of the series is included in this Anthology.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The oldest cemetery in the country is in Salem, and it’s also where the town’s ghosts tend to gather. However, the city’s cemeteries aren’t necessarily the most active places. #2 The most active graveyard in Salem is St. Mary’s Cemetery in Peabody, which has a reputation for being haunted. Visitors have reported seeing faint white lights that move around and experienced a foreboding sensation that they should quickly leave. #3 The second-oldest burial ground in Salem is the Broad Street Cemetery, which was established in 1655. It’s the final resting place for Court of Oyer and Terminer judge Jonathan Corwin, as well as one of Salem’s more infamous players from the 1692 witch trials era, Corwin’s sadistic nephew, high sheriff George Corwin. #4 The Broad Street Cemetery is a hotbed of paranormal activity. There have been several reports of an apparition of an older gentleman wearing period garb wandering the old-school gravestones.

The 1950s drama 'The Crucible' underscored the link between contemporary political investigations and the 1692 Salem witch trials. This book reveals that this 20th-century cultural movement followed a long history of appeals to American memories of the witch trials.

What caused the worst witch-hunt in U.S. history? What demons sent twenty innocent people to their deaths? Was it panic? Payback? Puritanism run amok? In this probing short-form book, award-winning journalist Bruce Watson captures all the fear and fear-mongering while exploring the latest historical research into this unforgettable American tragedy.

The Salem Witch Trials is based on over twenty-five years of archival research--including the author's discovery of previously unknown documents--newly found cases and court records. From January 1692 to January 1697 this history unfolds a nearly day-by-day narrative of the crisis as the citizens of New England experienced it.