The Rebecca Nurse Homestead — Attraction in Danvers

I'm a Salem resident and I am on a mission to tour all the local attractions AND historical places.

About this one:

I visited the Rebecca Nurse Homestead yesterday. It was my second time touring this historical site over the past few years and, again, I was not disappointed.

Guided tours were not given the day I visited, but many volunteers were stationed around the Homestead to answer questions and an audio tour is available online (I recommend to bring your earphones with you).

What it is:

Rebecca Nurse is probably the most well known victim from the Salem Witch Trials, a pious, well-respected member of the community. This did not exonerate her, unfortunately, from being accused, sentenced to death and hanged on July 19th 1692. At this location, you can visit the home where she lived - which is pretty amazing - and that back then was part of Salem. This area was called, at the time, Salem Village and now is part of the town of Danvers (the "current" Salem was called Salem Town).

At this museum you can visit:

the house where Rebecca Nurse lived, with its 1700-1800 expansions and restored to look like it was during Colonial times. Open to the public are the gardens outside, the main room, the lean-to and a third room with a display of objects from the house. The second floor - with the bedroom - was not open to the public both times that I visited

a replica of the Meeting House from the time of the trials, built for a PBS movie. Fully furnished inside

a replica of a colonial barn - inside there is their gift shop

the Nurse graveyard, with a memorial dedicated to Rebecca and where possibly she was secretly buried by her family. Remains of George Jacobs Sr, another victim of the trials, were relocated here too.

the grounds

PROs

If you are visiting the area because of the Salem Witch Trials, you MUST stop here. This is one of the very few still standing buildings with direct ties to the trials, possibly the most significant one.

The volunteers at the Homestead are very knowledgeable and welcoming. It is remarkable and heartwarming how the memory of Rebecca Nurse has been kept alive through all these years.

CONs

There are no real cons, just a couple of considerations. You should check opening hours carefully on their website as the museum is open only seasonally and on specific hours. If you are visiting Salem, you would need a mean of transportation to get here. And, if possible, you should try to visit on a day when it is not raining, being this an outdoor museum and I have the impression these grounds can get quite muddy...

This First Period home is believed to have been built up from earlier portions of a mansion that had been constructed for Townsend Bishop in the 1630s. This well preserved saltbox-style house sits at the end of an old dirt road, nestled among 27 acres that boast several buildings including a replica 1690’s meetinghouse. There is also a family cemetery where a memorial was raised in 1885 to honour Rebecca’s true resting place. Her first grave was unmarked like many other victims, but her children secretly collected her body & buried it at the homestead. Rebecca Nurse was an unfortunate among many at the time who were falsely accused witches. A frail woman of 71, she was arrested & taken from her home in March 1692, & later hanged at Gallows Hill on July 19, along with Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin & Sarah Wildes. Her arrest came as a complete surprise to the citizens of Salem Village as she was very well known for her piety. Her two sisters were also accused of witchcraft. Every last one of Rebecca’s accusers was either a Putnam or a friend of their family, a family who had a long history of property disputes with the Nurses. Initially found innocent, members of the community that had been pressured to insist on their torment at the hands of Rebecca, including Ann Putnam, protested the verdict. The judges reversed their verdict & Rebecca was hanged. This was the beginning of the end of the Witch Hysteria in Salem, as villagers could no longer deny their innocence. Her great-grandson Francis Nurse later occupied the house, & from it marched to the Battle of Lexington & Concord in Captain John Putnam's militia. The Putnam family actually inherited the property in 1784, & remained residents until 1908. The home had endured many remodeling projects in its time as a private residence, including a lean-to addition in 1720 with its own chimney, an extension in 1850, & a kitchen was added in the early 1900s. The house contains original beams, walls, & flooring but otherwise has been extensively restored. Today it operates as a...

So worth while! If I could do my Salem trip again (we came from Michigan) I’d start here first instead of last and here’s why. We did two other tours in Salem while there and we got some conflicting stories about things BUT our tour guide at Rebecca Nurses house (I believe her name was Lisa) was hands down the bomb. She told us stuff the other tour guides didn’t mention and things even in general about Salem in that time not just about Rebecca Nurses house. She was a plethora of information! She gave us not only her opinions but even was talking about why what is believed to be the reason why or why not they did happen, even sighting a scientific journal- this girl knows her stuff! What was supposed to be a 30 minute tour ended up being almost an hour and half bc she was so receptive with letting us ask her questions. And the way she delivered said information was so engaging. This woman was a real gem to this whole...