The Rebecca Nurse Homestead

We visited recently & found our trip to be very educational. The estate is pretty, well maintained, and home to three different main landmarks. Candice was our tour guide - she told us many different historical narratives & answered all of our follow-up questions. I’d definitely recommend stopping here if you’re visiting Salem for the history!

We went to Danvers and Salem hoping to learn lots about the history of the witch trials and we sure did! This was one of our favourite places on our visit. I loved going through the homes and through the cemetery to pay my respects to some of the victims of the witch trials and their families. The workers here were so friendly and kind. I also love that this place is maintained by volunteers. It really shows how much community means to MA and makes me want to find similar initiatives near my home! Thank you for such a great experience!

I'm so glad we were in the area when it was open. Not so glad it happened to be the day of the Gala and we had to pay extra but it was out only day to do it as we live in Illinois. Rebecca Nurse is my Great (x11) grandma so of course I had to go. I love that you are able to visit and that it's still standing today.

I'm a Salem resident and I am on a mission to tour all the local attractions AND historical places. About this one: I visited the Rebecca Nurse Homestead yesterday. It was my second time touring this historical site over the past few years and, again, I was not disappointed. Guided tours were not given the day I visited, but many volunteers were stationed around the Homestead to answer questions and an audio tour is available online (I recommend to bring your earphones with you). What it is: Rebecca Nurse is probably the most well known victim from the Salem Witch Trials, a pious, well-respected member of the community. This did not exonerate her, unfortunately, from being accused, sentenced to death and hanged on July 19th 1692. At this location, you can visit the home where she lived - which is pretty amazing - and that back then was part of Salem. This area was called, at the time, Salem Village and now is part of the town of Danvers (the "current" Salem was called Salem Town). At this museum you can visit: - the house where Rebecca Nurse lived, with its 1700-1800 expansions and restored to look like it was during Colonial times. Open to the public are the gardens outside, the main room, the lean-to and a third room with a display of objects from the house. The second floor - with the bedroom - was not open to the public both times that I visited - a replica of the Meeting House from the time of the trials, built for a PBS movie. Fully furnished inside - a replica of a colonial barn - inside there is their gift shop - the Nurse graveyard, with a memorial dedicated to Rebecca and where possibly she was secretly buried by her family. Remains of George Jacobs Sr, another victim of the trials, were relocated here too. - the grounds PROs If you are visiting the area because of the Salem Witch Trials, you MUST stop here. This is one of the very few still standing buildings with direct ties to the trials, possibly the most significant one. The volunteers at the Homestead are very knowledgeable and welcoming. It is remarkable and heartwarming how the memory of Rebecca Nurse has been kept alive through all these years. CONs There are no real cons, just a couple of considerations. You should check opening hours carefully on their website as the museum is open only seasonally and on specific hours. If you are visiting Salem, you would need a mean of transportation to get here. And, if possible, you should try to visit on a day when it is not raining, being this an outdoor museum and I have the impression these grounds can get quite muddy when it rains.

Short lecture on Rebecca's history in Salem before she was accused of Witchcraft. House an buildings are cool, and the cemetery is quaint.

The guides were very informative and knowledgeable. It was amazing to see what life was like 400 years ago and learn a specific story from the tragic Salem Witch Trials

I was so excited to visit the Rebecca Nurse Homestead and learn even more about the history of the Salem Witch Trials but unfortunately it was closed when I tried to visit. It said online that it was open but it’s my fault for not calling and checking before making the drive out there. I was really hoping to tour the house but all I managed was to see the cemetery. There were people doing yard work all around so I didn’t get out of the car to explore but it is still a very beautiful area!

The Rebecca Nurse Homestead is located in Danvers, Massachusetts. In 1692, this would have been Salem Village and Rebecca was one of those accused of witchcraft during the witchcraft trials. She was found guilty and hung. The homestead has the 1678 house (in red) and is available for self-guided tours. Also on the property is the Nurse family cemetery, where there’s a monument to Rebecca

Super cool historical experience. If you are a history buff and you are interested in what little remains of the Salem witch trials, then this is a must see. This is one of the only places still standing with a direct connection to the Salem witch trial. The grounds also hold the only known burial site of one of the victims of the trials. The docents were well informed and were kind enough to stand around answering our "history dork" questions.

If you are looking for a guided tour this isn't it. This is a self guided tour. Absolutely love the history of this homestead. I would suggest learning a bit about Rebecca Nurse beforehand. There is a lovely old family cemetery attached as well.

Very knowledgeable docents who are passionate about the topic and the Nurse family. Learned a lot from them. Highly recommend the short trek from Salem to the Nurse Homestead.

The Rebecca Nurse Homestead is one of my favorite places to visit when in Danvers. Not only are the people who work their knowledgeable, but they also have the same love of history and dislike of publications (books, movie, and tv) that are not historically accurate. The home is well kept for its age.

Forget the heart of Salem and the private enterprises trying to tell you the story of the Salem Witch Trials. This is the "real" story in Danvers where the real activity happened. Rebecca Nurse was one of the first accused of being a witch and hung. Her body was almost certainly taken back in secret to the family homestead for a private, unmarked burial. The replica of the Old Meeting House has been used in movies/documentaries and the grounds have a calm peace to them. The family graveyard is worth the walk. I am so glad we went out of our way to visit here.

A nice afternoon out for the family. We went there last weekend, expecting the standard 17th century house experience, but there are actually three buildings here (not counting the wood shed) and they are set on extensive grounds that makes the experience seem like you're stepping back in time. There are no modern buildings visible from the house, so it really feels like you've entered a time warp. One of the buildings is a barn - here you can buy books, 17th century games, pottery, trinkets and the usual stuff they sell at these places. The store is better than most, and carries quite a selection of stuff. We went on a guided tour through the Rebecca Nurse Homestead - this was good, but the guide seemed a little unused to speaking. Maybe she was just new at the job. After the homestead tour we were led to another building - a reproduction of a 17th century meeting house. Here we were shown a movie about the Salem Witch trials. The only downside I found was that the movie is quite long, and by the time it had finished they had locked up the main house (15 minutes early). I would have liked another quick look through the house without the tour group, but perhaps they don't allow unguided access. After the people locked up, I asked if I could wander in the grounds. I was told that I could stay as long as I liked, so I spent a few minutes walking the property and getting some photos. All-in-all, a great experience and a very pleasant summer afternoon. I must go back, perhaps in the winter.

I've been a resident of Salem for a few years now and was embarrassed to tell our tour guide I had never been out to Danvers to see the original Salem Town/ Salem Farm historical sights related to the witch trials before. Our guide was knowledgeable, engaging and answered every question we had. I learned many of interesting facts on our 45 min tour of the property. The replica of the Old Meeting House used to film "Three Sovereigns for Sarah" really places you back in time and gives you an idea of where the innocent victims were humiliated and denounced in front of their family, neighbors, and friends. This is definitely a stop everyone should see in addition to visiting Salem to learn more about the Salem Witch Trials and the hard life the villagers had over 300 years ago. I highly recommend walking the trail to the Rebecca Nurse Memorial and graveyard adjacent to property and across the farm land.

Fantastic! Tour guide was extremely studied and knowledgeable. Beautiful historic grounds. Much superior to the Salem Witch Museum if you are interested in learning about the Salem Witch Trials.

Was here a couple years ago, great historical site to visit, just outside of downtown. A wonderful tour guide walked us throughout the site and afterward we took in a show called Short Stories. Made for a memorable weekend

One of the less touristy, off the beaten path attractions for those who are looking for the "true" historical Salem experience and not the palm reading/canned spookiness of the current town of Salem. The Rebecca Nurse Homestead is located in Danvers, formerly Salem Village. In addition to the actual house, there is a barn as well as a replicated town meeting hall built for a PBS documentary. The house itself is one of the oldest in MA (and therefore the US) dating back to the 1600s when Rebecca Nurse was tried and convicted for witchcraft. In its time, the house was considered a "mansion" even though we had to stoop a bit in the first living area. Two of the rooms featured period cooking fireplaces, complete with recessed ovens. Our tour guide mentioned that fires were a leading cause of death in the 1600s as the women wore dresses made of linen and would have to reach over the fire to access the ovens. They've attempted to keep this home true to the period. While most of the furnishings are not original to the home, the last room is a tiny museum of sorts featuring some of the thousands of artifacts they found while doing an archaeological dig in the front garden area of the home (back before trash service was available). Among shards of pottery dating back to Nurse period, they also found many arrowheads. The non-profit society that operates this museum also keeps a garden where the original Nurse family would have kept theirs. In addition to overgrown asparagus, they're also growing hops. In the 1600s, families brewed their own beer and drank ale in lieu of water as their wells were typically dug close to where the waste also went. Even the children drank a mix of water and beer. The grounds also has a small, family cemetery. We did not make it out to the cemetery as it was a bit far and it had been a long day at that point.

First you should note that if you're planning on visiting Salem, this spot is located about a 15 minute drive outside the town in the neighboring town of Danvers. We decided to visit this first since it was out of the way when we came up for our day trip. The house itself isn't much to see compared to the House of the Seven Gables or the Witch House. However, there is also a meeting house on the grounds which where the tour starts. The grounds around the home itself are beautiful and have been well kept. Although we didn't get to see it, we were told by the staff that the family burial grounds is home to the remains of one of the victims of the Witch Trials (not Rebecca Nurse). The staff also helped us in locating Proctor's Ledge which is believed to be the hill where the victims were hanged. The first part of the tour can run a little long depending on how many questions are asked in the group, the guide is very knowledgeable and the first part of our tour felt more like a discussion on the subject. Definitely learned a lot, and the condition of the home is amazing considering the age. I would recommend coming for the guided tour rather than just arriving and doing self-guided. The guides provide a lot more information that one wouldn't get if they were to just walk around on their own. Parking is available on the grass.

If I could leave a 6-star review I would. This Homestead is everything it looks like it will be and so much more. I am a descendant of Rebecca Nurse, she was my 12th great aunt (her sister Mary Easty, also a victim of the Salem Witch Trials, was my 11th great grandmother). Anyway, I've done much reading about the Trials and the accused and I learned SO much more on this tour. Extremely knowledgeable guide, had so many tidbits to share about both colonial life and the Nurse family especially. We also had the opportunity to get a personal tour of the family burial ground and again, incredible depth of knowledge of the era and the people. Our day included visiting Proctor's Ledge and the Salem Witch Trials memorial in Salem - but the Homestead was the highlight by far. Extraordinary historical property. So glad it's being maintained so diligently. Definitely a must-see for anyone interested in colonial era homes, farms or the Salem Witch Trials.

I got two free tickets from the owners of the Hocus Pocus Tours in Salem, for the tour of the Rebecca Nurse Homestead, and brought a family member who was visiting from out of town. We had a wonderful time. The tour guide was very personable and knowledgeable. It was a lovely day, and we wandered the grounds after the tour and took photos. The volunteers in the book shop were also very pleasant. I enjoyed this tour very much, and would definitely do it again!