I was in the mood to watch an Indie Horror movie and came across A Haunting in Salem. To represent this, I chose an image of gallows by kalhh from Pixabay. The premise of the film is that a sheriff relocates to Salem, Massachusetts, with his family. Meet the Downs family, a typical family composed of husband, wife, son, and daughter. The job comes complete with a house, also known as the Corwin house, and a centuries-old curse.

Now, this is where things get interesting. 

The movie’s synopsis is based on true events, which is true – to a degree. 

In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts – Salem’s judges tried and convicted 19 people as witches. The judges chose hanging by their neck until dead as their sentence. One of the so-called witches didn’t swing. 

Giles Corey, a cantankerous farmer, wouldn’t confess to being a witch. In those days, the court couldn’t try or convict a person unless one admitted to being a witch. What history doesn’t tell about the witch trials? If one confessed to being a witch, one lost all their property. That’s right, everything one worked for would go to the state.

Corey knew this. He also knew proving his innocence would be impossible. Corey changed his will – leaving everything he owned to his two sons-in-law. Then he refused to confess that he was a witch.

The court wasn’t happy and resorted to torturing Corey to get his confession. The Salem sheriff, George Corwin, ordered the archaic and painful method of “pressing” to get Corey’s admission. 

Imagine, if you will, stripped naked and forced to lie on a stone slab. Then have huge stones placed on your body one at a time, increasing the weight. It is a slow and painful way to die, and in fact, it took two days, but Corey never confessed.

Historical accounts state Corey stayed feisty to the end. Reportedly, saying “add more weight.”

So, what does this have to do with the horror movie?

Also, according to legend, Corey’s last words were, “Damn you. I curse you and Salem.” 

Four years after Corey’s excruciating death, Sheriff George Corwin died at only thirty-years-old. Over the next 300-years, Salem has seen a steady flow of ailing sheriffs that have died young. Locals state that the ghostly apparition of Giles Corey continues to haunt Salem. Witnesses have seen him haunting his grave at Howard street cemetery.

In 1978, Corey’s spirit appeared to Sheriff Robert Cahill. Soon after, Cahill discovered he had a rare blood disorder. Intrigued, he investigated the two sheriffs before him. They either died of a rare blood disorder or a heart-related ailment.

Legend states Corey’s specter appeared in 1914, right before the great fire of Salem.

Salem was in the midst of a drought when on June 25, 1914, a fire started. Because it was a hot, windy day, the flames spread fast through the city. The fire ate its way across the city 1/2-mile wide and 1 1/2 miles long. The blaze took over 1,376 buildings and leaving 18,000 people homeless. Over half of Salem’s population no longer had homes or businesses.

Did Giles Corey’s curse cause the fire?

Facts: Four years before the fire broke out, Selectman Franklin Wentworth warned it could happen. He reasoned the city had too many combustible roofs. The city grew faster than Salem could handle. There were over 5.000 newcomers in less than four years alone.

However, no one knows what caused the fire. A local newspaper states a local official reported that the fire started at the Korn Leather Company. Korn does store highly flammable products used to make their products. The official said that the fire started in a shed storing sheepskin and three barrels of flammable liquid. 

Now, this is where it gets creepy. The state official doesn’t know how the fire started in the shed. They think it could have been rays through the window. In another article, it states that a worker walked into the shed with a cigarette. The resulting chemical explosion started the great Salem Fire.

Let’s review that statement for a moment. You have a state official saying they don’t know how the fire got started. In another article, promoting “no smoking,” it was a smoker. 

I’m sorry. Although not convinced it was a ghost that started the fire? What idiot would be allowed to smoke at a company filled with chemicals?  

There are a lot of coincidences involved here. You have a legend stating Giles Corey cursed the sheriff and the town. A long history of sheriff’s developing mysterious ailments and dying young. I researched Salem’s sheriffs, and Corwin did indeed die of a heart attack at age 30. It happened four years after Corey’s death. I discovered another interesting piece of history. Corwin’s wife Susanna died in 1700. At 31 years-old. 

What is interesting about this tidbit? Not only was she married to the sheriff who condemned Giles Corey? Susanna is also the daughter of Bartholomew Gedney, who was a judge at the Salem witch trials. 

Talk about a significant coincidence.

I didn’t research every sheriff, although I might after this. Studying this article has made me curious now. 

Legend states Corey’s ghostly apparition haunted his gravesite the day before the great fire. 

Then if that’s not enough? In 1991, the sheriff’s department moved its headquarters from Salem to Middleton. Middleton is almost 9 miles away from Salem. 

Why would the Salem sheriff’s department move its headquarters 9 miles away? Built-in 1684, the Salem jail housed the witches awaiting trial. Touted as haunted, the prison is a favorite for paranormal enthusiasts. 

On a more practical note, the jail wasn’t a modern building. It didn’t age well, and it was small. Salem has grown a lot since 1692, and the prison couldn’t handle the influx of criminals that resulted.

Once Salem completed the move, there have been no further sightings of Corey. Unconvinced, that Corey is gone for good? The locals hope that means Corey is now resting in peace.

As for the movie? Truth is stranger than fiction. In this case, the truth about Salem’s history is more fascinating than the movie.

If you are ever Salem? Let me know if you see Giles Corey’s spirit, and if you do? It’s best if you leave Salem immediately.

 Image by kalhh from Pixabay