The Ropes Mansion

​Perhaps you have seen it. Even if you have never been to Salem, Massachusetts, you may have seen the Ropes mansion on television or in the movies. It is the mansion used in the movie “Hocus Pocus” as the home where Allison lived. The exterior shots were used in the movie while interior shots were filmed at a set. (Of course, the newest in the Hocus Pocus franchise was filmed in Providence. Perhaps you or a friend was cast as an extra.)
The twenty room mansion at 318 Essex Street was built in 1727 for merchant Samuel Barnard. Salem was once the biggest maritime port in the colonies. By the time of the American Revolution, Salem’s trade by sea had become absorbed by Boston, thus dwindling its status as a major trade port. It is still famous for its maritime history although the infamous witch trials of 1692 have long overshadowed the former. The Witch City boasts a host of ghostly locations but it is the Ropes Mansion that is reported to harbor the most ghostly activity.
Judge Nathaniel Ropes and his wife Priscilla acquired the mansion in 1768. The mansion stayed in the family until 1907. Ropes was friends with the likes of John Adams, but when the struggle for independence broke out, the judge announced that he was a Tory. Tories were colonists who sided with the King of England. When the folks on the side of liberty became aware of this, they stoned his home and later demanded he come out and face them. When they found out he was on his deathbed, they retracted their threat and dispersed.
Nathaniel Jr. took over the mansion after his mother died. He married and had a daughter named Abigail. Abigail, or Nabby, as she was known, was unmarried when a tragic event took place that would scar the walls of the mansion for eternity. One day Nabby was walking by a fireplace when her clothes caught fire. Her screams went unheard and she suffered for three weeks before succumbing to her injuries. The Salem Gazette from April 26, 1839 wrote she died from, “a distressing illness of three weeks caused by her clothes accidentally taking fire.”
Her spirit returned to scene of her demise to forever haunt the home. The Blue Room is where Nabby met her fate, and it is that room where people passing by the mansion she her peering out the window. Some have witnessed a full-body apparition in a long skirt, hair tied up in a bun, wandering through the house. Former caretakers of the mansion, Rich and Georgette Stafford experienced various paranormal events that occurred on their watch.
Several times the burglar alarms went off but a thorough search of the home proved it was uninhabited by any other living beings, save themselves. Fire alarms were also prone to the same mysterious occurrence. Items would fly off shelves or fall from their secured place of rest. 
One of the most disturbing occurrences is the blood curdling screams in the night as if Abigail was reliving her fateful moment once more. There is also a famous photo of what appears to be two hands and a transparent form sitting on the couch in the front hall where often times, Judge Ropes and John Adams would argue politics. This photo appears in Ghostly Haunts by Robert Ellis Cahill, former Sheriff of Salem.
The grounds are open for people to wander and relish in the beautiful gardens, but the mansion is not always open. Visit www.pem.org for hours of operation and perhaps you may see for yourself some of the spirits that still call the place home.

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Witch Windows
​New England has a lot of exclusive and strange customs and superstitions that have been a perennial staple of our culture since the first settlers landed here. Although many have faded with time into obscurity, some not only still thrive but can also be seen as one travels the highways and byways of the region. One of these customs can be seen mainly in Vermont and is known as the “Witch Window.” The origins of this name are lost to obscurity, but the strange slanted window easily distinguishes their existence between the eave of the home and addition just below, running parallel with the roof angle.
Witch windows originated in the Green Mountain State sometime around the 19th century. The name actually refers to a superstition that witches cannot maneuver their broomsticks sideways, so by placing the window at a 45-degree angle, a witch cannot enter your home through that window. This seems relatively weak in theory as all the other windows in the home are installed at the usual angles. If a witch really wanted to enter the home, it could easily pick another opening more suitable for entry.
Another term for these examples of peculiar architecture is “coffin windows,” which is even more unusual than the former. This name came from the thought that rather than lugging a heavy-laden coffin down the winding staircase of the home, the angled window would allow the coffin to be slid right side up out the window onto the roof of the addition and carefully lowered to the ground. This seems rather irrational in thought and practicality, especially for Vermonters who are known for their common sense and ingenuity. If someone were to die upstairs, would it not be easier to bring the deceased downstairs to the coffin rather than carry the coffin upstairs to the dead?
Many years ago, I saw my first witch window while traveling along Route 25 in Vermont. It struck me as odd at first, but its purpose immediately seemed as plain and evident as could be. The first story addition may have covered the old window. Thus, being practical and not having access to the big box stores we have today, the owner reinstalled the window to easily fit in the angled space between the addition and eave, instead of building a dormer for an upright window. Why do you ask? Easy answer; to let light into the upstairs room that would otherwise be dark after the addition was put in place.
The expansion of the home led to having the second-floor window covered by the new roof. Vermont farmers would not have wasted anything if they could help it. Materials were hard to come by, and that window was going to be used. The only place it would fit was where you see them today.
So, we have superstition, custom, and practicality. Is it all three, or just one reason these amusing additions exist, mainly on Vermont homes? If you happen upon a house with a witch window and the owner is outside, stop and ask him about the witch window. Don’t be surprised if he looks at you with a severe yet sincere expression on his face as he asks, “witch window?” Seeing one while driving the roads of Vermont is almost as exciting as seeing a moose or bear, but a heck of a lot safer. Perhaps you have seen it. Even if you have never been to Salem, Massachusetts, you may have seen the Ropes mansion on television or in the movies. It is the mansion used in the movie “Hocus Pocus” as the home where Allison lived. The exterior shots were used in the movie while interior shots were filmed at a set. (Of course, the newest in the Hocus Pocus franchise was filmed in Providence. Perhaps you or a friend was cast as an extra.)
The twenty room mansion at 318 Essex Street was built in 1727 for merchant Samuel Barnard. Salem was once the biggest maritime port in the colonies. By the time of the American Revolution, Salem’s trade by sea had become absorbed by Boston, thus dwindling its status as a major trade port. It is still famous for its maritime history although the infamous witch trials of 1692 have long overshadowed the former. The Witch City boasts a host of ghostly locations but it is the Ropes Mansion that is reported to harbor the most ghostly activity.
Judge Nathaniel Ropes and his wife Priscilla acquired the mansion in 1768. The mansion stayed in the family until 1907. Ropes was friends with the likes of John Adams, but when the struggle for independence broke out, the judge announced that he was a Tory. Tories were colonists who sided with the King of England. When the folks on the side of liberty became aware of this, they stoned his home and later demanded he come out and face them. When they found out he was on his deathbed, they retracted their threat and dispersed.
Nathaniel Jr. took over the mansion after his mother died. He married and had a daughter named Abigail. Abigail, or Nabby, as she was known, was unmarried when a tragic event took place that would scar the walls of the mansion for eternity. One day Nabby was walking by a fireplace when her clothes caught fire. Her screams went unheard and she suffered for three weeks before succumbing to her injuries. The Salem Gazette from April 26, 1839 wrote she died from, “a distressing illness of three weeks caused by her clothes accidentally taking fire.”
Her spirit returned to scene of her demise to forever haunt the home. The Blue Room is where Nabby met her fate, and it is that room where people passing by the mansion she her peering out the window. Some have witnessed a full-body apparition in a long skirt, hair tied up in a bun, wandering through the house. Former caretakers of the mansion, Rich and Georgette Stafford experienced various paranormal events that occurred on their watch.
Several times the burglar alarms went off but a thorough search of the home proved it was uninhabited by any other living beings, save themselves. Fire alarms were also prone to the same mysterious occurrence. Items would fly off shelves or fall from their secured place of rest. 
One of the most disturbing occurrences is the blood curdling screams in the night as if Abigail was reliving her fateful moment once more. There is also a famous photo of what appears to be two hands and a transparent form sitting on the couch in the front hall where often times, Judge Ropes and John Adams would argue politics. This photo appears in Ghostly Haunts by Robert Ellis Cahill, former Sheriff of Salem.
The grounds are open for people to wander and relish in the beautiful gardens, but the mansion is not always open. Visit www.pem.org for hours of operation and perhaps you may see for yourself some of the spirits that still call the place home.




Perhaps you have seen it. Even if you have never been to Salem, Massachusetts, you may have seen the Ropes mansion on television or in the movies. It is the mansion used in the movie “Hocus Pocus” as the home where Allison lived. The exterior shots were used in the movie while interior shots were filmed at a set. (Of course, the newest in the Hocus Pocus franchise was filmed in Providence. Perhaps you or a friend was cast as an extra.)
The twenty room mansion at 318 Essex Street was built in 1727 for merchant Samuel Barnard. Salem was once the biggest maritime port in the colonies. By the time of the American Revolution, Salem’s trade by sea had become absorbed by Boston, thus dwindling its status as a major trade port. It is still famous for its maritime history although the infamous witch trials of 1692 have long overshadowed the former. The Witch City boasts a host of ghostly locations but it is the Ropes Mansion that is reported to harbor the most ghostly activity.
Judge Nathaniel Ropes and his wife Priscilla acquired the mansion in 1768. The mansion stayed in the family until 1907. Ropes was friends with the likes of John Adams, but when the struggle for independence broke out, the judge announced that he was a Tory. Tories were colonists who sided with the King of England. When the folks on the side of liberty became aware of this, they stoned his home and later demanded he come out and face them. When they found out he was on his deathbed, they retracted their threat and dispersed.
Nathaniel Jr. took over the mansion after his mother died. He married and had a daughter named Abigail. Abigail, or Nabby, as she was known, was unmarried when a tragic event took place that would scar the walls of the mansion for eternity. One day Nabby was walking by a fireplace when her clothes caught fire. Her screams went unheard and she suffered for three weeks before succumbing to her injuries. The Salem Gazette from April 26, 1839 wrote she died from, “a distressing illness of three weeks caused by her clothes accidentally taking fire.”
Her spirit returned to scene of her demise to forever haunt the home. The Blue Room is where Nabby met her fate, and it is that room where people passing by the mansion she her peering out the window. Some have witnessed a full-body apparition in a long skirt, hair tied up in a bun, wandering through the house. Former caretakers of the mansion, Rich and Georgette Stafford experienced various paranormal events that occurred on their watch.
Several times the burglar alarms went off but a thorough search of the home proved it was uninhabited by any other living beings, save themselves. Fire alarms were also prone to the same mysterious occurrence. Items would fly off shelves or fall from their secured place of rest. 
One of the most disturbing occurrences is the blood curdling screams in the night as if Abigail was reliving her fateful moment once more. There is also a famous photo of what appears to be two hands and a transparent form sitting on the couch in the front hall where often times, Judge Ropes and John Adams would argue politics. This photo appears in Ghostly Haunts by Robert Ellis Cahill, former Sheriff of Salem.
The grounds are open for people to wander and relish in the beautiful gardens, but the mansion is not always open. Visit www.pem.org for hours of operation and perhaps you may see for yourself some of the spirits that still call the place home.