History Alive, Inc. Salem, MA

08/02/2026

Such fun time warping through Salem's 400+ years of history yesterday. What do you think: should HA produce a time-warp ball where we learn dances with these heroes from Salem's past? Thank you to yesterday's 36 performers and to entry sponsors: Donna A. Seger, William Goldberg, Dr. Marlene Juedes and Megan Christian. Love, Your Salem.

07/25/2026

One week until the Salem 400+ Heritage Days parade, and our costume goblins are hard at work!

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07/11/2026

We’re starting our season off early with summer shows! Grab your tickets at: historyalivesalem.simpletix.com and join our jury!

Thank you so much to for having us!

07/06/2026

Cry Innocent: The People Versus Bridget Bishop summer shows return! We're so pleased to be deepening our partnership with Essex National Heritage Area to share Cry Innocent in the AIR CONDITIONED (Huzzah!) auditorium of the Salem Armory Regional Visitor Center (2 New Liberty St). Through previous collaborations on our Charlotte Forten programs, Provincial Congress play, and other projects, the team at Essex Heritage has won our confidence and inspired us with their mission.

In this interactive production, audiences are taken back to the witch trials of 1692 to listen to the testimonies, cross-examine the witnesses, and decide if Bridget Bishop is capable of witchcraft.

Shows will take place on Saturdays at 3pm on July 11, July 18, July 25, August 8, August 15, and August 22. Maybe we'll add more! (We'll also return to the Old Town Hall for the 9/21-11/7 "October Season" daily schedule.)

Get advance tickets here: https://www.simpletix.com/e/summer-2026-cry-innocent-the-people-vs-bri-tickets-278558

then check in with those noisy Puritans outside the venue on the afternoon of your show for colonial admission and instructions on where to join the pre-show town news/arrest scene. We can't wait to welcome you to Bridget Bishop's jury this summer. Play your part in history!

It's 1692. Bridget Bishop is accused of witchcraft. Hear the evidence, cross-examine the witnesses and determine if Bridget should go to trial on witchcraft charges! Is Bridget capable of bewitching her neighbors? YOU decide the outcome!

07/04/2026

July 4th, 2026 - Today History Alive celebrates and reflects on 250 years of American independence. Since that first Independence Day, we have continued to search for liberty and justice for all. As we recognize this historic Independence Day, History Alive is asking ourselves what freedom means to us and how we might live that everyday.

Pictured is the cast of Fashioning for Freedom: Layers of Liberty. Photo taken by Elijah Titong

06/30/2026

Progress pic! 📸 Catch Jane Reeves Verin walking in the Salem 400+ Heritage Days Parade on August 1st (along with our other featured historical figures from across Salem’s centuries).

If you’d like to sponsor Jane or another historical figure in the parade, please contact [email protected]!

Read on for more information about Jane:

Jane Reeves Verin was an early figure establishing the value of religious freedom in the American English colonies. Jane Reeves was born in the 1610s in England. She married Joshua Verin and emigrated to Salem, Massachusetts in 1635 with her husband, mother, and other family members. Jane and her mother were separatist Puritans, while Joshua was a non-separatist. Joshua was a member in good standing of the Puritan church in Salem. Jane and her mother, however, did not attend worship and risked severe punishments in their refusal to participate. In 1636/37 the family moved to Rhode Island where Roger Williams had established a place of refuge for religious dissenters. The Verins received a lot of land next to Roger Williams.

In Rhode Island, Joshua became the one who refused to attend meetings, while Jane participated in religious life. Joshua strongly opposed Jane’s participation and severely beat her for her disobedience in attending worship. The town of Providence voted to disenfranchise Joshua for his violation of Jane’s “liberty of conscience,” forcing him to leave and return to Salem. Jane agreed to leave with him. Jane continued to defy religious expectations in Salem. She disappears from records after 1640.

06/29/2026

Happy Pride! The North Shore Pride Parade was this weekend, and we bet this Puritan pride look would blend right in! Can you spot all the colors of the rainbow in this 17th century outfit? 🌈

06/20/2026

Yesterday, Sarah Parker Remond had the pleasure of kicking off and delivering the Keynote at the Juneteenth Jam in Salem! Thank you all who came out to celebrate and reflect on the past, present, and future.

06/17/2026

As we are celebrating pride we are returning our thoughts to Fashioning for Freedom: Layers of Liberty where we highlighted Edmonia Lewis. A Black and indigenous sculptor, Lewis practiced her art in the United States before eventually moving to Italy. In Rome, she joined a group of expatriate female artists. This circle was largely made up of q***r women, a few of those being Charlotte Cushman, Harriet Hosmer, and Anne Whitney. This creative community elevated female artists, bringing them the recognition and admiration they deserved. In Rome, Lewis and her art thrived. She began sculpting from marble, working in the neoclassical style, and created some of her most well known pieces. While we do not know today how Edmonia would choose to represent herself, we do know that within this group of q***r women, Edmonia found community, comfort, and creativity. Happy Pride, Edmonia!

***rartists

Photo of Actor portraying Edmonia Lewis captured by Elijah Titong.

06/15/2026

Last weekend, History Alive was at Salem Arts Festival ! We got to meet so many kind folks! Thank you so much to everyone who said hello, blew 17th century bubbles with us, or learned to make a dove for the Salem 400+ Heritage Days Parade.

Thank you to Salem Main Streets Salem Main Streets and Creative Collective Creative Collective MA for producing! And thank you to Roost for your help setting up!