Widowhood, Tavern Culture, and Witchcraft at Gedney House

After the death of her husband Eleazar, Mary Gedney applied for a license to sell liquor at their home in Salem’s waterfront district. With young children and an uncertain future, she never remarried and managed to keep her house on High Street until her death in 1716. Mary Gedney lived through a troubled period that included personal loss as well as warfare and witch trials. This talk explores the role of women as tavern keepers in seventeenth-century New England and the connections of the house and the Gedney family to the Salem witch trials. Dr. Tricia Peone, research scholar for our Recovering New England’s Voices project, presents this talk at Gedney House.

Members: $15; Nonmembers $25.

Please call 978-744-0440 for more information.