Welcome to Salem: Where History Meets the Haunted

October 27, 2025 • Read in 5 minutes

Dear Hyphenly Readers,

It’s official: we’re at the end of Spooky Season. So, if you’ve already carved your pumpkins and completed your annual rewatch of Halloweentown, let’s travel to Salem: Spooky Capital of the World together.

Salem’s connection to Halloween begins with the tragic events that unfolded during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Nineteen innocent victims lost their lives due to the Puritan beliefs of the time. 

But by 1982, the city planned its first Salem Haunted Happenings Festival during Halloween weekend in an effort to provide family-friendly events for guests who were interested in visiting the so-called “Witch City,” popularized by The Crucible. 

Now the Haunted Happenings Festival lasts through the month of October attracting tourists from all over the world. There are many places in Salem to visit: whether it is Count Orlock’s Nightmare Gallery or The Witch Dungeon Museum, the city has it all. So, this October, Team Hyphenly went to check out the fun.

Fun fact: These lights were donated to the city after the filming of Adam Sandler’s Hubie Halloween

Walking through the city, discovering art at the Peabody Essex Museum, and visiting The Salem Witch Trials Memorial as we put some holiday weight feasting on ramen at Kokeshi was the perfect itinerary. But then we stumbled upon something truly astounding…

Enter: The House of Seven Gables. 

In 1668, merchant John Turner built a house on Salem Harbor. In 2007, it was designated a National Historic Landmark District. But the house is perhaps most well-known for being the inspiration for world-renowned American author Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel. 

“In 1910, Salem activist and philanthropist Caroline Emmerton restored the house and opened it as a museum and Settlement House to support the local immigrant community… The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association carries on Emmerton’s mission and vision by offering free English as a Second Language and Citizenship classes and providing a platform for immigrant voices on the North Shore.”

That’s right! Every year at the House of Seven Gables, the Settlement Association collaborates with USCIS to host a Naturalization Ceremony for new Americans from the region. And why is it called The Settlement Association? According to the website: “Settlement houses were places where social workers would “settle” among immigrant communities, hoping to share knowledge and American culture with the aim of helping their recently-arrived and lower-income neighbors.” So, what better place than this to host a Naturalization Ceremony?

So, not only is Salem a “Witch City,” it is also home to one of the US’s most well-known philanthropists who strive to make a community that welcomes its immigrants. If you want to support the association, you can follow the link here.

Stay Spooky!

Team Hyphenly

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