A VERY enchanting home: Historic house where accused warlock John Proctor lived just before he was hanged in the Salem Witch Trials hits the market

  • The First Period colonial home, spanning nearly 4,000 square feet, was built in 1638, according to the listing 
  • The six-bedroom, two-bathroom home is in Peabody, Massachusetts, which at the time was part of Salem
  • It was where Proctor and his wife Elizabeth were living when they were accused of witchcraft in 1692 
  • Parts of the original structure, including wooden beams, remain visible, according to the real estate agent

Advertisement

The house where John Proctor, a well-known victim of the Salem witch trials, once lived has been put on the market for $600,000.

The First Period colonial home, which spans nearly 4,000 square feet, was built in 1638, according to the listing. 

It was where Proctor, a tavern owner and farmer whose story inspired the character played by Daniel Day-Lewis in the 1996 film The Crucible, and his wife Elizabeth were living when they were accused of witchcraft in 1692.  

The six-bedroom, two-bathroom home is on Lowell Street in Peabody, Massachusetts, which at the time was part of Salem.

Real estate agent Joe Cipoletta, of J. Barrett and Co., said some parts of the original structure, including wooden beams and wallpaper, are still visible.

The house where John Proctor, a victim of the Salem witch trials, once lived has been put on the market for $600,000

The house where John Proctor, a victim of the Salem witch trials, once lived has been put on the market for $600,000

The First Period colonial home, which spans nearly 4,000 square feet, was built in 1638, according to the listing

The First Period colonial home, which spans nearly 4,000 square feet, was built in 1638, according to the listing

Proctor (pictured in a drawing) was hanged after being accused and convicted of witchcraft in 

Proctor (pictured in a drawing) was hanged after being accused and convicted of witchcraft in 

John Proctor was a tavern owner and farmer whose story inspired the character played by Daniel Day-Lewis (pictured in the film) in the 1996 film The Crucible

John Proctor was a tavern owner and farmer whose story inspired the character played by Daniel Day-Lewis (pictured in the film) in the 1996 film The Crucible

But the property has been modernized and now includes an in-ground pool.

Cipoletta describes the property as a 'grand example of colonial and American history' that combines period detail with 'the functionality of today's needs.'  

It was placed on the market after Marion Raponi, the home's owner, died earlier this month.

Michael Bonfanti, the vice president of the Peabody Historical Society, told The Salem News that the organization is looking into whether it's feasible to purchase the home.

Dick St. Pierre, the society's president, told the paper: 'We would love to get the house because it was a big part of the Salem Witch Trials.

'The problem is taking on that kind of funding. Money is tight and a lot of people want it.'

Real estate agent Joe Cipoletta, of J. Barrett and Co., said some parts of the original structure, including wooden beams and wallpaper, are still visible

Real estate agent Joe Cipoletta, of J. Barrett and Co., said some parts of the original structure, including wooden beams and wallpaper, are still visible

The six-bedroom property is on Lowell Street in Peabody, Massachusetts, which at the time of the trials was part of Salem

The six-bedroom property is on Lowell Street in Peabody, Massachusetts, which at the time of the trials was part of Salem

But the property has been modernized since then and now includes modern conveniences as well as an in-ground pool

But the property has been modernized since then and now includes modern conveniences as well as an in-ground pool

St Pierre said the group is working with other organizations to chip in for part-ownership.

He said the historical society would like to open the property for tours to the public if it is able to purchase it.

However, Kelly Daniell, the historical society's curator, told Boston.com that how much of the home Proctor lived in and operated a tavern in isn't known. 

The current property definitely sits on the same land Proctor farmed and operated his business on, but the current structure could be part of the original home or may have been rebuilt. 

In-depth testing hasn't been carried out, she said, because the house has been owned privately - but some tests suggest it was built after Proctor was hanged.  

Cipoletta describes the property as a 'grand example of colonial and American history' that combines period detail with 'the functionality of today's needs'

Cipoletta describes the property as a 'grand example of colonial and American history' that combines period detail with 'the functionality of today's needs'

Michael Bonfanti, the vice president of the Peabody Historical Society, says the organization is looking into whether it's feasible to purchase the home

Michael Bonfanti, the vice president of the Peabody Historical Society, says the organization is looking into whether it's feasible to purchase the home

The First Period colonial home - associated with the Salem witch trials - was put on the market just in time for Halloween

The First Period colonial home - associated with the Salem witch trials - was put on the market just in time for Halloween

Proctor was born in Suffolk, England, but moved to the United States at the age of three with his family.

They settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts, but in 1666, he moved to Salem after marrying Elizabeth Thorndike several years after his first wife died in childbirth.

They reportedly lived in what has become known as the John Proctor House when he and his wife Elizabeth were accused of witchcraft.

Mary Warren, one of the accusers in the Salem witch trials, was a maidservant in his household.

The home, where John and Elizabeth Proctor once lived, has six bedrooms and two bathrooms. Pictured, one of the bedrooms

The home, where John and Elizabeth Proctor once lived, has six bedrooms and two bathrooms. Pictured, one of the bedrooms

The Peabody Historical Society says it wants to buy the property and make it a public resource, offering tours to the public

The Peabody Historical Society says it wants to buy the property and make it a public resource, offering tours to the public

 The property was placed on the market after Marion Raponi, the home's owner, died earlier this month. Pictured, the bathroom

 The property was placed on the market after Marion Raponi, the home's owner, died earlier this month. Pictured, the bathroom

Proctor had cured Warren's fits with a whipping and maintained that others suffering from seizures could also be cured with such treatment, according to the Salem Witch Museum.

In April 1692, Proctor and his wife Elizabeth were accused of witchcraft by Warren and other accusers.

Proctor was tried in August and hanged later that month. But his wife was granted a stay of execution because she was pregnant. She ultimately avoided the same fate as her husband and went on to remarry.

Proctor was immortalized in Arthur Miller's partly-fictionalized play The Crucible, which the playwright wrote as an allegory for McCarthyism.

He was played by Daniel Day-Lewis in the 1996 film based on Miller's play. 

A HISTORY OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS

The Salem witch trials began in the spring of 1692 after a group of young girls in Salem,Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused women in the village of witchcraft.

Twenty people suspected of practicing witchcraft were executed during a frenzy stoked by superstition, fear of disease and strangers, and petty jealousies. 

More than 200 people were accused, 19 were hanged, one was crushed to death by rocks and seven others died in prison.   

It wasn't just women who were accused of witchcraft, men were as well. Five men were among those convicted and hanged, including John Proctor. 

One 71-year-old man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death with heavy stones in 1692 for refusing to cooperate with the court. The method was used in a bid to force him to plead and died after three days of torture.

In June of 1692, the special Court of Oyer and Terminer sat in Salem to hear the cases of witchcraft, presided over by Chief Justice William Stoughton. 

It came after Reverend Samuel Parris' daughter Elizabeth, nine, and his niece Abigail Williams, 11, starting having fits in January that year.

 When they screamed, contorted themselves into strange positions, made odd sounds, a doctor blamed the supernatural. 

After a third girl had similar fits, the girls blamed three women - Tituba, the Parris family's Caribbean slave, Sarah Good, a homeless beggar, and Sarah Osborne, a poor, old woman - for their 'affliction.'

Good and Osborne pleaded innocence, but Tituba reportedly confessed that she was doing the Devil's bidding - and all three were put in jail and wave of accusations came in the months that followed.

Advertisement
The structure, which has become known as the John Proctor House, was built in 1638, the Peabody Historical Commission indicated with a plaque

The structure, which has become known as the John Proctor House, was built in 1638, the Peabody Historical Commission indicated with a plaque

Proctor was immortalized in Arthur Miller's partly-fictionalized play The Crucible, which the playwright wrote as an allegory for McCarthyism

Proctor was immortalized in Arthur Miller's partly-fictionalized play The Crucible, which the playwright wrote as an allegory for McCarthyism

 

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.