The Salem Village meetinghouse was located near the corner of Hobart and Forest Streets in Danvers, Massachusetts.
Originally built in 1672, the meetinghouse served as a place of worship and a general gathering place for civil and military matters. The land for the meetinghouse was donated by Joseph Hutchinson, who gave one acre of his meadowland for the building.
The building measured thirty-four feet in length, twenty-eight feet wide, and sixteen feet between joints and featured two end galleries and a canopy over the pulpit.
The frame of the building was constructed from oak timber using post and beam construction. The roofing frame was exposed and featured two horizontal summer beams, each supported by a center king post, with elegant curved truss support beams.
The seating arrangements for the meetinghouse consisted of women seated on the east side and men on the west. The oldest parishioners were seated near the front, with the church deacons, governmental and military officials behind them, followed by parishioners who contributed the most to the parish support. The meetinghouse also featured side balconies called galleries where children were usually seated.
When the Salem Witch Trials began in 1692, the meetinghouse occasionally housed the hearings and examinations when they grew too large for Ingersoll’s Tavern across the street.
James Bayley was the first minister to preach in the new meetinghouse. Reverend George Burroughs then replaced Bayley in 1681. Burroughs left the position in 1683 due to disagreements with the congregation over his salary, after which Reverend Deodat Lawson took over and served until 1688.
The villagers made many improvements to the meetinghouse over the years. On September 11, 1684, they voted the meetinghouse shall be “filled and daubed” (plastered) and voted to hang six casements in the meetinghouse so there is a canopy over the pulpit.
On March 6, 1684, the villagers voted to set up two end galleries in the meetinghouse and set up the canopy over the pulpit, which was a sounding board structure that allowed the minister’s voice to better resonate in the large building.
In 1688, Reverend Samuel Parris took over as minister and was still serving as minister in 1692 when the Salem Witch Trials began.
On March 1, 1692, Tituba, Sarah Osborne, and Sarah Good were scheduled to be examined at Ingersoll’s Tavern, but it was moved to the meetinghouse to accommodate the large crowd. On March 24, Rebecca Nurse was also examined at the meetinghouse after she was accused as well.
After 30 years, the meetinghouse fell into disrepair, and the building had become too small for the growing community.
In 1702, a new meetinghouse was built on land donated by Nathaniel Ingersoll on top of Watch-House Hill. The original meetinghouse was dismantled, and the land was given back to Joseph Hutchinson.
The frame of the old meetinghouse was moved across the street and converted into a barn. The barn eventually deteriorated and crumbled into dust.
In 1984, a replica of the original meetinghouse was built on the Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers for use in the movie Three Sovereigns for Sarah, starring Vanessa Redgrave as Sarah Cloyce. The replica building still stands today, and visitors are allowed to tour the building.
In 1992, a memorial marker was erected across the street from the original location of the meetinghouse.
Sources:
Upham, Charles Wentworth. Salem Witchcraft With an Account of Salem Village, and a History of Opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects · Volume 1. Wiggin and Lunt, 1867.
“Salem Village Meetinghouse Historical Marker.” Historical Marker Database, hmdb.org/m.asp?m=48726
Trask, Richard. “The Meetinghouse at Salem Village.” Danvers Historical Society, danverslibrary.org/archive/meetinghouse-at-salem-village/