Dark Days In Salem

In 1692, a group of girls in Salem Village set off a witchcraft panic that engulfed eastern Massachusetts. As a result, nineteen people were hanged as witches and an old man was killed under torture. Through an engaging recounting of historical events enhanced by memorable photographs and illustrations, readers will examine witchcraft beliefs in Europe and colonial New England. They will examine the factors that influenced the panic in Salem, including why the town and the surrounding communities fell prey to such unbridled terror and why, instead of calling for calm and reason, the authorities also became swept up in the hysteria.

Set in the early 1700s, this fictional account of the pirate Samuel Bellamy chronicles his lust for gold; for the accused witch, Mariah Hallett; and for the treasure ship, the Whydah. Sam Bellamy's simple quest to find enough lost Spanish treasure to offer Mariah a secure future quickly becomes an insatiable desire for gold. For eighteen months he sails the Caribbean under the black flag, allowing this means to an end-this sweet trade of piracy-to claim him. In February, 1717, he seizes the Whydah, a slave ship returning to England with incredible riches in her hold. With more than enough plunder to line his pockets, he turns the Whydah north to Cape Cod and his greatest prize, Mariah. While Sam is away, Mariah Hallett's secret is discovered and she is not only charged with murder, but faces accusations of witchcraft, as well. Confronting a harsh winter and an uncertain future, she struggles to survive alone on the rough Cape Cod moor that edges the sea. With unshakable faith that Sam will return to her, she walks the cliffs overlooking the wild Atlantic and watches for his ship.

Describes major tourist attractions in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, providing expanded coverage of Hartford, Boston, and Cape Cod.