“We ain’t afraid of no ghosts” is a now iconic line from the 1984 cult classic “Ghostbusters.” But the truth is modern-day Americans have been taught to not just be afraid of ghosts, but also any person or group who dares to connect with the world of Spirit outside of a church. What we fear becomes The Shadow and Salem, Massachusetts has long been the holder of it. Between its now-infamous 1600s witch trials and today’s cultural renaissance of The Witch lies a period in our history that has been long erased. The Spiritualist Movement of the Victorian Era (mid-1800s) was a time when everyday women started channeling The Dead, first in their homes, and then on the public stage in what became a nationwide phenomenon with direct correlations to the major social-political movements of the time. This walking tour is for those looking to explore outside the usual storylines told about Salem, as we uncover truths about our collective history with the “occult,” as well as our own personal connection to the Spirit realm.

Includes:

• Your own local guide, Melissa Nierman, with years of experience sharing tours as a DIY scholar of occult history, queer witch, and professional clairvoyant/ Tarot practitioner

• An intimate small group with the space for questions and exploration

• A chance to journey deep into the beautiful and less-visited historic McIntire District with its 1800s mansions, secret gardens, and Salem’s second oldest burying ground 

• Popular sites with a unique lens, including a Lyceum Hall where Spiritualist mediums gave political lectures in trance, the former theater where Houdini performed, and the home where Alexander Graham Bell dreamed while inventing the magical telephone

• Lesser-known sites, like a former a former Swedenborgian Church, Salem’s First Spiritualist Church, a Quaker cemetery, and a pair of 400 year old soaring twin trees 

• Spiritualism’s connection to the Women’s Rights and Abolitionist Movement

• Exploration of different types of spirit communication, including trance mediumship