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.
Do you see what I see?
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.
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.
I’m officially freaked out. What kind of camera do you use? Great article. I’m not gonna sleep tonight. lol
Thank you, I’m glad you liked it – though I’m sorry you’re freaked out. 🙂 I think what lingers, what we feel when there’s so much energy is the residual emotion. I’m not sure if anyone was there, in spirit form, or if what I captured was a residual haunting. Nothing interacted with us so I don’t think it was something to fear… though the unknown can be frightening.
Re. the camera – I have a Sony Cybershot. I love it. It’s a pocket camera and is always ready when I need it. Thanks for coming by! I hope you can sleep tonight after all. 😆
Fascinating.
I try to deny it, but there are some places where something, I know not what, seems to persist. And it isn’t always something ominous. I was once at La Verna, according to tradition the place where St. Francis received the stigmata. It had an extraordinary sense of peace.
Ah, see? That’s why this is so compelling for me. I want to know about the lingering emotions. I want to know the stories behind them, and the people who felt them. But you’re right, it’s not always ominous. We’ve investigated places that just feel… occupied. Not particularly happy or sad, just heavy with energy. The whole thing is fascinating and I hope, the more we do this, the more we’ll be able to understand without having to actually make the trek to the other side. 😉
During your experience, did you happen to take pictures? I wonder if you captured anything in them. One day, I hope to go through my older piles of pictures to see if there are anomalies in them like there are in the more recent pictures I’ve taken. I’d love to know about yours. If you should happen to find something in them, I’d love to see it.
When I first saw the face in the meeting house window, it was the one to the right — kind of looking out but down. Then I showed it to my husband. I didn’t realize until he pointed it out that there are two faces there — one young looking (to the right) and one old (to the left). Wow, Deb. Fascinating.
It is fascinating, isn’t it? Are you referring to the elderly man with his chin tipped upward? He’s almost over the shoulder of the main guy? He’s not as dimensional as the main guy, though, so that makes me wonder if he’s actually there or if his image is just a trick of the eye, a odd mix of reflections.
There’s a third man. Maybe he’s the one you mean? He’s in the lower left corner of the window. He looks hooded, almost like a monk. His image is smaller, so I don’t know if he’s with the other men and simply further from the window, or if he’s from another time.
A lot of energy surrounded that building so I wouldn’t be surprised if there are several more entities in there. I’ll have stacks of pictures to go through. How amazing it would be to find these same people in some of those, too.
Though I’m not as convinced as you are, I still like trying to see what you see. Thanks for an interesting post.
You keep up this ghost hunting, we’re going to have to name you wraith woman. 🙂
Skeptics are good! It challenges us to look closer and question what we’re seeing rather than insist what we see is there simply because we think it is. Should I assume, though, that you don’t see an anomaly in either image? The man looking out the window is the most dimensional entity I’ve captured… do you see him at all? Is the dress blue and black or white and gold? 😉
fiancé’s grgrgr grandmother was rebecca nurse. I love to come and see this in person. I want to learn more about them.
Rebecca Nurse is your fiancé’s ancestor??? That’s incredible. Do you know if stories of that dark time were passed down through the years? I can’t imagine the wonder and the pain of knowing my great-great-great grandmother had been tormented so relentlessly and then murdered that way. Though, despite the horror, Rebecca Nurse’s spirit certainly lives on.
My camera picked up a strange picture at the rebecca nurse homestead.
So exciting, Mark. I’d love to see the image. Have you posted it anywhere? When were you at the Homestead? Did you sense a presence while you were there? So many questions…