Most people in Devon who think of Salem will know it as ‘The Witch City’ rather than as a 17th century New England community founded in 1626 by East Budleigh’s Roger Conant.
Thanks to the reputation that it gained following the appalling witch trials of 1692-93, tourism has become a $100 million annual business in Salem. In October, Salem sees thousands of tourists buying witchcraft supplies, wearing costumes, and touring local haunts.
One entrepreneur has been quoted as making 25,000 bottles of Haunted Happenings Costume Blood by the end of July, to be sold by local vendors over the summer.
In 2023 about one million people visited downtown Salem, representing a 35% increase from 2019.
Pictured here is the statue of Elizabeth Montgomery, set up in Lappin Park, Salem, as a tribute to the actress who starred as the witch Samantha in the sitcom ‘Bewitched.’
If you are interested in the history of early America, and Roger Conant as a peacemaker in troubled times you can join the Devon Peacemaker Festival Facebook group at
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