HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
The only home of a 1692 Salem witch trial execution victim that survives and admits the public — including the Nurse family burial ground where Rebecca is interred
149 Pine Street, Danvers, MA 01923
Research updated August 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Admission fee charged for guided tours of the house and museum; check rebeccanurse.org for current rates. Seasonal open hours; exterior grounds including the burial ground may be accessible outside tour hours.
Access
Limited Access
Historic 17th-century farmhouse with narrow doorways and uneven floors; exterior grounds are grassy
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1678 · 1692 Salem Witch Trials — Rebecca Nurse Executed July 19 1692 · Only Surviving Home of a Witch Trial Victim Open to the Public · Original Nurse Family Burial Ground On-Site · Reconstruction of Salem Village Meetinghouse
The Nurse homestead occupies land in the former Salem Village, which separated from Salem Town and was incorporated as Danvers in 1752. Francis and Rebecca Nurse arrived in the area in the 1670s and built their saltbox-style farmhouse around 1678 on a 300-acre farm that Francis had leased from a Boston merchant.
In March 1692, as accusations spread through the community that would become the Salem witch trials, Rebecca Nurse — then 71 years old and in poor health — was named as a witch by several of the afflicted girls. Her standing in the community was significant enough that 39 neighbors signed a petition defending her character. At trial, the jury initially returned a verdict of not guilty; the presiding judges sent the jury back to reconsider, pointing to a statement Nurse had made in court. The jury reversed itself and returned a guilty verdict. Governor Phips briefly issued a reprieve, then revoked it following pressure. Rebecca Nurse was hanged on July 19, 1692, alongside four others, at what is now confirmed to be Proctor's Ledge in Salem.
Her family retrieved her body for burial on the homestead property. A memorial stone in the family burial ground marks her grave. The farmhouse passed through several owners before preservation efforts in the 20th century; it was restored and opened as a public museum. The property also includes a reconstruction of the Salem Village Meetinghouse, which was used as a set in the 1984 film Three Sovereigns for Sarah.
Sources
The homestead's significance as the one surviving domestic space tied directly to a 1692 execution victim gives it a different character from Salem's more theatrical haunted venues. It is a working historic site, run by a preservation organization, and the staff do not market it as a haunted attraction.
That said, visitors and guides have over the years noted particular qualities in the house that they struggle to explain as routine. The upstairs rooms, where the family's most intimate daily life would have occurred, produce the most frequent accounts — a sense of being observed, sounds without apparent source, and on occasion what some describe as a faint presence near the fireplace in the keeping room.
The burial ground at the rear is where Rebecca's remains are believed to lie, her body having been retrieved by family members from the execution site — a considerable act of defiance in the context of 1692. The grave has been a site of reflection and unofficial observance for decades. Some visitors to the burial ground at dusk have reported hearing what they describe as weeping or murmuring, though these accounts are anecdotal and not documented by the museum.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Where this legend is told
Docent-led tours of the circa-1678 farmhouse cover four historically restored rooms, the Nurse family burial ground with Rebecca's memorial marker, and a reconstruction of the Salem Village Meetinghouse. Tours run seasonally; see website for schedule.
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