Emerson “Tad” Baker, Salem’s Dead: Learning History from Charter Street Cemetery
In celebration of the restoration work nearing completion on Salem’s Charter Street Cemetery and its reopening to the public this summer, this talk will explore what we can learn about early Salem’s history by looking at this cemetery, its gravestones and colonial burying practices.
Laid out in 1637 on what would come to be known as the “Burying Point,” Charter Street is one of the oldest cemeteries in the United States. It is the resting place of many famous Salem residents, ranging from two witch trials judges and Governor Simon Bradstreet to architect and carver Samuel McIntire. Her lies Giles Corey’s first wife, as well as a young man allegedly bewitched by Bridget Bishop. The gravestones at Charter Street are remarkable works of art whose elaborate decoration tells us much about the evolving nature of society and belief in early Salem.
Emerson "Tad" Baker is vice provost and a professor of History at Salem State University. He is the award-winning author of many books on the history and archaeology of early New England, including A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience, and The Devil of Great Island: Witchcraft and Conflict in Early New England. Baker has served as an advisor and on-camera expert for PBS-TV’s American Experience and Colonial House, as well as for documentaries on many networks. His current book project explores material life in seventeenth-century New England.
This event is free. Donations to Voices Against Injustice are strongly encouraged.