Researchers confirm macabre location of Salem's sordid past

[dlevere]

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/nationa...archers/np6Mq/


In this photo taken Jan. 11^th, 2016, Salem State University history professor Emerson Baker walks through an area that he and a team of researchers said is the exact site where 19 innocent people were hanged during the 1692 witch trials in Salem, Mass.

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said the city plans to put a tasteful memorial at the site, which is known as Proctor's Ledge and is surrounded by private homes. (Ken Yuszkus/The Salem News via AP)

[xirtamehtsitahw]

The reason behind the witchcraft hysteria in Salem and many other places (including England) was believed to be the ingestion of a type of mold called rye ergot.

This mold causes hallucinations, hysteria, paranoia, seizures, wild mood swings, and extreme anxiety. Due to the superstitious beliefs of the time period, and lack of advanced scientific knowledge that we now have, such behavior was seen as evidence that one was "bewitched", which led to the whole witchcraft scare, and the deaths of at least 19 people by hanging and burning at the stake.