Two years before the 1692 crisis, an 18-year-old boy lay bedridden in the Balch House in Beverly and claimed that local witches were tormenting him. Historic Beverly calls it a disturbing early episode that foreshadowed the accusations to come. Tomorrow night, October 8, the same 17th-century house hosts "Bewitched at Balch: Immersive Dark History," an evening of stories about witches, counter-magic, and the beliefs that shaped early New England. All of the $15 tickets were gone as of early October.
That sellout points to something larger. For its 400th anniversary, Beverly is telling its own story of 1692. That story is less about accusation than about what happened when the people running the examinations began to question them. Beverly's minister was one of those people, and you can still walk into the house he built.
The minister whose wife was accused
Reverend John Hale was Beverly's first minister. In 1692 he supported the witchcraft examinations at first. His view changed sharply when his own wife, Sarah Hale, was accused.
What came after is what sets Beverly's chapter apart. Hale began to question the methods the courts used, especially their reliance on so-called "spectral evidence." He later published A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature of Witchcraft, which Historic Beverly describes as one of the important contemporary critiques of the trials.
Two years after the crisis, Hale was living in a new home on what is now Hale Street. Historic Beverly dates Hale Farm, at 39 Hale Street, to 1694. So the house was built by a man who had just watched his own convictions fall apart. For anyone who drives past it on the way to Beverly Farms, the building says a good deal more about 1692 than its clapboard suggests.
Five Beverly names, and no executions
Hale's household was only part of it. Historic Beverly names five Beverly residents who were accused of witchcraft in 1692: Dorcas Hoar, Job Tookey, Mary Morey, Sarah Morrill, and Susanna Roots. None of them were executed.
Dorcas Hoar is the most striking case. Historic Beverly describes her as a convicted witch. A conviction in 1692 would normally lead straight to the gallows, yet she is on the list of Beverly people who lived. That gap between convicted and executed fits the rest of Beverly's story. Historic Beverly sums up the five cases by saying their experiences "reveal the very real consequences of the 1692 panic" even without a death sentence carried out.
The organizers have chosen a careful framing for this material. Here is how Historic Beverly describes its main walking tour:
"This is not a tour designed to sensationalize the Salem Witch Trials. It is an opportunity to look more closely, ask difficult questions, and examine the historical record for ourselves."
Three addresses hold the whole story
Beverly's 1692 history centers on a few buildings and one burial ground, all run or interpreted by Historic Beverly. Almost every October program on the Beverly 400+ events calendar starts at one of them.
| Site | Address | Its place in the 1692 story | October 2026 program |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balch House | Address not listed on the event page | The bedridden-boy episode, two years before the crisis | Bewitched at Balch, Oct. 8, sold out |
| John Cabot House | 117 Cabot Street | Where Historic Beverly interprets Beverly's 17th-century connection to the crisis | Dorcas Hoar talk, Project 1692 tours, paranormal investigation |
| Hale Farm | 39 Hale Street | Rev. John Hale's 1694 home | Spooky Tales at Hale, Oct. 31 |
| Ancient Burial Ground | Abbott Street Cemetery, Abbott Street | One of Beverly's oldest historic sites | Candlelight walking tours, Oct. 22 and Oct. 31 |
John Cabot House anchors most of the month, so a downtown evening and a 1692 lesson can easily be the same outing.
The October calendar, in the order the story runs
Bewitched at Balch is sold out. Here is what remains between now and Halloween, with the details Historic Beverly and Beverly 400+ have posted as of early October. Ticket counts change fast, so check each event page before you plan around it.
- Coffee & Conversation: Dorcas Hoar & the Beverly Witch Trials, Friday, Oct. 9, 10 to 11 a.m., John Cabot House, 117 Cabot Street. A morning talk about Beverly's convicted witch and the town's part in the crisis. The Beverly 400+ listing doesn't give a price or registration details.
- Project 1692: The Beverly Files walking tour, Thursdays in October. This is a joint program from Ancestry Tour Agents and Historic Beverly. It uses historic places, primary sources, and firsthand accounts to show how fear, belief, community tensions, and flawed evidence turned suspicion into accusation. The October 15 session runs 7:30 to 9 p.m. and meets at the John Cabot House. The Beverly 400+ calendar also lists the tour on October 22 and 29. Tickets for every date are sold through Eventbrite, which showed a price of about $44.
- Paranormal investigation with Shari DeBenedetti, Sunday, Oct. 18, John Cabot House. The Ghost Hunters investigator leads an after-dark investigation of one of Historic Beverly's landmark properties. It opens with a short history of the site. Tickets are $60 and must be bought in advance.
- Candlelight Walking Tour of the Ancient Burial Ground, Thursday, Oct. 22, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Abbott Street Cemetery. Registration is required. Tickets are $5 for Historic Beverly members and $10 for nonmembers, and only a handful of each were left when checked.
- Wicked Beverly: Witches & Monsters on the North Shore, Friday, Oct. 30, 8 to 9 p.m. This one moves from the documented record into folklore: ghosts, strange creatures, and unexplained sightings collected over nearly 400 years, some from the historical record and some handed down through generations. The walk covers downtown Beverly and costs $5 for members or $10 for nonmembers. The event page doesn't list a meeting spot.
- Double feature: Spooky Tales at Hale plus the candlelight burial ground tour, Saturday, Oct. 31, 8 to 10:30 p.m. The night begins at the John Hale House, 39 Hale Street. Tickets are $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers.
Taken in order, the calendar follows the history. It starts with one accused woman, widens to the town, then moves to the burial ground. It ends on Halloween at the house Hale built after the trials changed his thinking.
One change to the calendar, and a different kind of October history
One listing is out of date. The Revolutionary War Military Muster at Hale Farm still appears on the Beverly 400+ calendar for Sunday, October 11, but Historic Beverly's own event page says it has been postponed to spring. If you had the free muster on your calendar, Hale Farm will be quiet that weekend.
The Revolution still gets its October moment on the water. On Saturday, October 10, the Historic Battle of the Hannah & Nautilus will be reenacted on the water at Dane Street Beach from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Trombones 4 Revolution will play as guests arrive.
The 400th calendar goes on past Halloween. On Sunday, November 8, Beverly 400+ and the Ohketeau Cultural Center will host a free, family-friendly afternoon of traditional Native American dance, drumming, storytelling, and crafts. Historic Beverly's Holiday House Tour is set for Saturday, December 12. Member tickets went on sale October 1, and nonmember tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. on October 15.
Historic Beverly sums up the town's place in 1692 plainly: "While Salem has become synonymous with the witch trials, Beverly was very much part of the story." This month, that part of the story is told at 117 Cabot Street, 39 Hale Street, and Abbott Street Cemetery.
Old Beverly houses like Hale Farm hold a lot of history, and the city's older homes carry their own stories too. If you've ever wondered what your house has seen, or what it would take to care for one of Beverly's older properties, Trohon Real Estate would love to hear about it. Let's Start a Conversation.
