The Salem Witch Trials Podcast

The Tragedy of Dorothy Good

The Salem Witch Trials Podcast

Show Notes

On March 23, 1692, a warrant was issued by the magistrates to take into custody yet another accused individual. By now, the magistrates and marshals were getting used to this exercise. The witch hysteria had been building for several weeks, and the accusations were flying. But this time, however, the accused was not one of the usual suspects.

Watch Rachel Christ-Doane, director of education at the Salem Witch Museum, discuss her research about the life of Dorothy Good.

More from The Salem Witch Trials Podcast

Oct 8, 2026

What did it mean to be a witch in 1692? In this episode, we explore how the Puritans understood witches, satan, and the supernatural. And we address why those beliefs were so central to the tragedy. ----more---- Join host Greg Houle in Owensboro, Kentucky! He'll be at Owensboro Community and Technical College for two special events:

Aug 27, 2026

What was everyday life like in Salem in 1692? In this episode, we look beyond the witch crisis to explore the work, routines, and relationships that shaped the people at the center of the storm.

Jun 19, 2026

The Salem witch trials ended more than three centuries ago, but the story has never truly stopped. This episode explores how the legacy of this historical crisis has been claimed, reinvented, memorialized, commercialized, and contested across generations.

May 5, 2026

When the witch crisis of 1692 faded, Salem Village was left to live with what it had done. This episode examines how Reverend Joseph Green guided this damaged community through its long and uncertain aftermath.Joining us is Dan Lipcan, the Ann C. Pingree Director of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum, which has in its collection the diary of Reverend Green.

Feb 27, 2026

WE'RE BACK!In the first episode of our second season, we trace the story of Tituba, an enslaved Indigenous woman and the first person accused of witchcraft in 1692. With the help of historian Matt Alschbach, we examine her story within the broader context of seventeenth-century folk medicine, race, and Puritan theology, exploring how fear breeds suspicion, and how suspicion so often settles on the margins.

See all episodes →