Debora Dale Alt logo
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
where fear and passion collide
Debora Dale Alt logo
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
where fear and passion collide

Among the sites I visited in Salem Village this past fall, was the Rebecca Nurse Homestead. The grounds were open but since it was off-season, the house was sealed tight, docents were unavailable and I, along with my two friends, were the only visitors there.

I would have loved to tour the house. It has stood all these centuries. Was the place for sharing honest thoughts and deep emotions about the hysteria gripping the village… where that hysteria hit hard as Rebecca Nurse, herself an aged and pious woman most respected as a church member, was accused, arrested, thrown into jail, tried, convicted and eventually hung as a witch.

Her body was dumped unceremoniously with the others hung that day in 1692, since a witch could not receive a Christian burial. Yet, under the cover of night, her loving son and husband retrieved her body and buried her properly on the homestead grounds.

That property, the property of the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, pulsed with history when we visited. The energy was undeniable. We found it impossible to remain for long in two specific spots on the grounds. One was by a window at the back of the house, near the garden. I wanted to take a picture through the glass, but as I lifted my camera, I felt a sudden wave of extreme dread and danger. I was certain, if I turned, I would find someone behind me. I did turn, but no one was there.

I backed away quickly, still feeling uneasy, then turned to take a picture of where I had been. The first image here is the full shot I took, untouched except to size it for web-view. The second is an extreme close up of the windowpane on the door by the garden where I felt so uncomfortable.

Rebecca Nurse Homestead, Salem Village

Do you see what I see?

Rebecca Nurse Homestead - Salem Village anomaly in window

The other spot oozing with energy, was the Meeting House. It’s a replica of the original Meeting House that would have been in the area, though it would not have been on the property as it is now.

I don’t know why I would feel anything strange about the structure itself since it is a reproduction not a building actually connected to the witch hysteria. I was not alone with those feelings, however. I had friends with me, and both felt the same. In fact, one believed she was being watched through the front window and so, from a distance, I took a picture of the building and that’s below.

Salem Village Meeting House

Of course, if you look closely at the windows, you’ll see branches from the bare trees reflected in the glass. But do you see the window to the left of the front door? I zoomed in on it below. Look at it closely – if you have to – and you just might see what we saw so clearly in the window that brisk fall day in Salem Village.

Salem Village Meeting House - closeup- anomaly in window