House of Four Gables

07/22/2025

Enjoyed the fireworks from the yard on July 4th.

03/06/2024

03/06/2024

On this day, in the year 1692, the witch cake experiment was conducted in the Salem Village parsonage.

What is a witch cake? This was an English folk magic recipe, an old method for attempting to discern a witch hiding in the community. Urine was taken from the bewitched, mixed with rye meal, and baked on hot ashes. This concoction was then fed to a dog. The hope was this would harm the witch or force them to reveal themselves.

By this time, the illness of Betty Parris and Abigail Williams had persisted for more than a month. With no solution in sight, witchcraft was feared.

On a day when the Reverend and his wife were away, Mary Sibley, a close neighbor, arrived with a solution. Why not try folk magic? While magic was frowned upon, considered a dangerous invitation to the devil, these old traditions persisted in colonial New England. It was not uncommon to draw on these beliefs from a bygone time, particularly when bewitchment was feared. In light of the continuing torments of the young girls, Goodwife Sibley came forward with instructions for Tituba and John Indian, an enslaved married couple owned by Reverend Parris, and the odious mixture was created.

The experiment was a failure. Reverend Parris was enraged to find folk magic had been attempted in his home. Far from alleviating the sickness, two more girls soon began to show signs of bewitchment.

It is important to note the repercussions for those involved in this experiment. Tituba, who followed the instructions of her neighbor, was soon accused of witchcraft and arrested. She would spend more than a year in prison. Mary Sibley, who openly admitted to suggesting the cake, was never accused of witchcraft. Though she was publicly reprimanded by Reverend Parris, her fate was markedly different from the enslaved woman who followed her directions.

This fateful day marks an important escalation in the witchcraft panic. The Salem witch hunt was about to begin.

03/06/2024

In 1692, Ipswich jail was one of four prisons to hold those accused of witchcraft.

04/12/2023

We have not opened up dates on Airbnb past June. If you are interested in dates, please contact me directly.

07/04/2021

Front porch roses in bloom

03/28/2021

Now that it’s spring, looking forward to summer. Here’s a few photos from last summer.

03/24/2021

Really interesting cloud bank on the horizon yesterday

10/08/2020

One of two full moons for the month. The next one is on Halloween! A Halloween full moon!

09/01/2020

Everyday, sometimes twice, they shoot the cannon and startle me... nice reflection though