In this episode, Kenyon covers the complicated and deeply entrenched history of the Salem Witch Trials. This is part two of a two-part episode on this topic; if you have not listened to episode one (\"Tituba's Confession\"), please check it out! More of this episode will make sense.
Picking up the story with the downward spiral that followed Tituba's confession to witchcraft, the community across Salem began to pull itself apart, suspecting neighbors and other church members of being a witch. This episode covers the backstory to family conflicts, how the Putnams became so central to the witch trials, and the repercussions followed after the trials came to an end.
Next week is the final episode of season two. To vote on season three's topic, please head over to the show's Instagram page @ootepod!
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Sources:
SWP No. 094: Rebecca Nurse Executed July 19, 1692
SWP No. 022: George Burroughs Executed, August 19, 1692
Cotton Mather, The Trial of Susannah Martin, at the Court of Oyer and Terminer, Held by Adjournment at Salem, June 29, 1692.
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Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft (1976)
Rebecca Brooks, “Ann Putnam, Jr: Villain or Victim?” History of Massachusetts Blog (July 6, 2015).
Rebecca Brooks, “Betty Parris: First Afflicted Girl of the Salem Witch Trials,” History of Massachusetts Blog (June 10, 2013).
Marc Callis, “The Aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials in Colonial America” Historical Journal of Massachusetts Volume 33, No. 2 (Summer 2005).
Richard Francis, Judge Sewall's Apology: The Salem Witch Trials and the Forming of a Conscience (2016).
Carol Karlsen, The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft In Colonial New England (1998).
Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 (2003).
Jenni Tyler, “On this day in 1692: The Final Day of Salem's Witch Trial Horror,” Arcadia Publishing, Sept. 22, 2025.
Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne
Theme music: \"Southern Gothic\" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer
Additional featured music:
“Historias,” anrocomposer
“Piano & cello Beautiful Poetic Music,” Denis Pavlov Music
“Black Powder,” Shadows and Echoes
“Around Every Corner,” Dream Protocol
“Horror,” Litesaturation
“Tragedy and Grief,” Ashot Danielyan
“The Moon Got Tangled in the Branches,\" Lexin Music
“Gothic & Horror,” Pianocafe_Kumi
“Forgotten Waltz,” Grand Project
By Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/:
“Gymnopedie No 3”
“Virtutes Instrumenti”
“Magic Escape Room”
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