The Rebecca Nurse Homestead

Essential to Fully Understanding the Salem Witch Trials My daughter (13) and I visited The Rebecca Nurse Homestead on July 1, 2025. The guides at the site were both helpful and very knowledgeable. Rebecca Nurse was a key figure in the Salem Witch Trials. Her story is important because it highlights the hysteria and injustice of the trials, the devastating impact on innocent individuals, and ultimately, the eventual shift in public opinion the helped bring the trials to a close. Rebecca Nurse's story is not just one of tragedy. Her family and descendants have worked to preserve her memory and ensue that her legacy is one of resilience and a reminder of the importance of justice and integrity. To fully understand the events of the Salem Witch Trials take time to visit The Rebecca Nurse Homestead.

I visited for an atlatl spear throwing event during Trails & Sails in September 2024. This was a niche interest but open to a wide audience. The grounds of the homestead were a perfect venue for the event. I hope to return to visit the interior of the house.

We visited today and had an absolutely amazing experience. The tour is included in the price, and I highly recommend taking it. Our tour guide Lisa was absolutely amazing, super knowledgeable. Because we had a small group, she was able to tailor the tour to our particular interests, as well as answer all our questions and expand on them. I love history, and this was truly one of the best historical tours I’ve been on. There is an audio tour available, but it does not compare to the live tour. That said, it is helpful for the burial plot, which the guided tour does not cover. If you are interested in learning the actual history of the trials, the Nurse family, colonial life, and more, not the sensationalized version, I highly recommend visiting.

Truly a remarkable place . My interest in the Salem Witch Trials was first sparked by viewing the PBS production, Three Sovereigns for Sarah. This prompted me to read several books on the subject, as well as a short stay in Salem. Rebecca was one of the victims hung in Salem during the witch hysteria. The Rebecca Nurse Homestead and cemetery grounds in neighboring Danvers was a memorable and poignant experience.

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!

The one star I am giving here is not for the place or its history, but for the tour guide lady. Today, August 12th, 2025, we stopped at this place hoping to enjoy the tour and learn the history. Once we parked our car, we could see the tour lady gathering the tour group, and instead of waiting for us (wife, daughter, and self) for an half minute, she proceeds to the tour. She spent more than 45 minutes inside Rebecca Nurse's home not allowing us to visit the main living room. we waited and waited and some folks got tired and left. I will not stop there again.

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.

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!