Uncovering the truth about Salem’s youngest victim

 
Rachel Christ-Doane ’17 didn’t know much about Salem or witchcraft until she landed an internship with the Salem Witch Museum as a sophomore at Clark. Now, she’s the museum’s education director, and her research has led the museum to update content in its exhibits. On this episode of Challenge. Change., Christ-Doane tells us about her recent discovery of a “treasure trove” of information about the youngest victim of the trials, 4-year-old Dorothy Good.

“She’s accused, she’s arrested, she’s in jail for about seven or eight months, and her mother is executed during the trials. When this child is released, she’s so traumatized that she is never able to really recover,” Christ-Doane says. “She’s been my primary focus this year, and her story is staying with me because it’s just so awful. It speaks to witchcraft history, but more broadly, the fate of women in colonial society.”

Christ-Doane suggests the book “A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience” by Emerson Baker to anyone who wants to learn more.

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Challenge. Change. is produced by Melissa Hanson and Andrew Hart for Clark University. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.