Wishing you all a very happy Father’s Day as well as the first day of Summer! Happy Summer Solstice! ☀️

Good morning! It’s a beautiful Friday here in Salem. The sky really is *this* blue today. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Thank you for the shout out!

Exciting news! 🎃

This is how much fun we have on our tours!

On this day in history: 329 years ago, on June 10, 1692, Bridget Bishop would be the first to be hanged on charges of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials. Bishop had been previously accused of witchcraft years earlier by her stepchildren, following the death of her husband. She owned an apple orchard on what is now Church St, and Bishop also lived in a house somewhere near the orchard, according to court records. Bridget Bishop was arrested on charges of witchcraft on April 18, 1692, after she was accused by Mercy Lewis, Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Hubbard and Ann Putnam, Jr. Bishop was examined the next day in Salem Village by Judge John Hathorne and Judge Jonathan Corwin. Hathorne's questioning of Bishop: “[Hathorne]: They say you bewitcht your first husband to death.�[Bishop]: If it please your worship I know nothing of it.�She shake her head & the afflicted were tortured....�[Bishop]: I am no witch.�[Hathorne]: Why you seem to act witchcraft before us, by the motion of your�body, which seems to have influence upon the afflicted?�[Bishop]: I know nothing of it. I am innocent to a witch. That same day, Bridget Bishop was indicted and arraigned on five separate charges of witchcraft. The amount of evidence against Bishop was overwhelming. Over the course of the next few months, over 10 witnesses gave long, detailed testimonies about how Bridget Bishop bewitched them, their family and/or their animals. Two witnesses, Samuel and Sarah Shuttuck gave a long, rambling testimony about how Bridget Bishop first asked them to dye a small piece of lace that they believed couldn’t be used for anything other than a poppet (a type of doll used in witchcraft), then bewitched their eldest child and physically attacked the child in person when she was confronted about bewitching him. John Bly and his wife Rebecca also testified that Bridget Bishop sold them a bewitched pig. John Bly and William Bly also testified that they were hired by Bishop to do some construction work on her home and found poppets hidden in the walls of her cellar: “June 2’th 1692 John Blye Senior aged about 57 years & William Blye aged about 15 years both of Salem testifieth and sayth that being employed by Bridget Bishop alias Oliver of Salem to help take down the cellar wall of the old house she formerly lived in we the said deponants in holes of the said old wall belonging to the said cellar found several poppets made up of rags and hog bristles with headless pins in them with the points outward & this was about seven years last past.” At about 10 a.m. on June 2, Bridget Bishop, Elizabeth Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Alice Parker, Susannah Martinand Sarah Good underwent a humiliating physical examination by nine local women and a doctor named Barton, after which these examiners reported finding unnatural growths in strange places on some of the accused, including Bishop: “The first three, namely: Bishop, Nurse and Proctor, by diligent search have discovered a preternatural excrescence of flesh between the pudendum [genitals] and anus much like to teats & not usual in women & much unlike to the other three that hath been searched by us & that they were in all the three women near the same place.” The women were all examined again about six hours later, after which the examiners reported that Bridget Bishop and Elizabeth Proctor were clear of any mark and that as far as the other women were concerned, the unusual bit of flesh only appeared to be dry skin. In her trial, the jury found Bridget Bishop guilty of witchcraft and issued her death warrant on June 8, 1692. On Friday, June 10, 1692, sometime between 8am and noon, Bridget Bishop was taken to the execution site at or near Gallows Hill in Salem and hanged. As a convicted witch, she wasn’t allowed to be buried in consecrated ground so she was buried at the execution site. Bridget Bishop was not the first victim accused during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, but it is believed that officials chose to hear her case first because they felt, given her prior history and reputation, it would be an easy win. They were right and a string of other convictions and executions followed hers before the hysteria came to an end in 1693.

Witchy Wisdom Wednesday 06/09/2021 With Justice the Wizard Presented by Witch City Walking Tours This Wednesday we remember the trial and execution of Bridget Bishop, the first victim of the Salem Witch Trials. Thanks for tuning in! I'll see you next Wednesday for some more Witchy Wisdom! Blessed Be! Follow WCWT & JtW on social media! Witch City Walking Tours www.witchcitywalkingtours.com www.instagram.com/witchcitywalkingtours www.facebook.com/witchcitywalkingtours https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeVu3Xy1/ Justice the Wizard Linkt.ree/JusticetheWizard www.justicethewizard.com www.patreon.com/justicethewizard.com www.instagram.com/justicethewizard www.facebook.com/justicethewizard.com

So excited that we’ve reached *1000* reviews on TripAdvisor! I’m so grateful to all of our wonderful guests who have taken the time to leave a review over the years. It’s because of you that we love giving tours so much.

Happy Monday! The amazing April Rose is this week’s #SalemTourismStar! April joined Witch City Walking Tours in 2020 and has been one of our most requested guides since. She has an absolutely engaging, infectious personality that draws you into her every word. Originally from the Salem area, April was previously a regional New England sales educator and manager.. She recently made a career change and entered the healthcare field. April’s favorite spot in Salem is Pickering Wharf. She has always loved visiting Salem and is very passionate about the people, history and culture. She explains, “Salem is a big part of my childhood. My family has a long history in New England. I also love people, being a sales educator gave me a passion for sharing knowledge with others.” Her most memorable tour experience is when her tour was hit with an unexpected snow storm in the middle of the route. It definitely made for a great story! April can be found giving tours Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:00AM and 12:30PM. To book, visit www.witchcitywalkingtours.com