Rare Artifacts from Salem Witch Trial Victim’s Home Now on Display at Salem Witch Museum
A remarkable archaeological discovery brings us closer to the tragic story of Elizabeth How, one of 19 innocent people executed during the Salem witch trials.
When Tammy Goss began construction on her new home in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 2005, she didn’t know she was about to uncover a piece of one of America’s darkest chapters. What started as routine basement excavation on Linebrook Road would eventually lead to an extraordinary archaeological discovery—artifacts from the homestead of Elizabeth How, one of the 19 innocent people hanged during the Salem witch trials.
A Discovery Decades in the Making
The first clues emerged just 2-3 feet below the surface: pieces of redware pottery discovered while digging the basement for the new structure. Rather than dismissing these finds, Goss pursued them with methodical research and perseverance.
Further excavation revealed a treasure trove of artifacts spanning three centuries, including items from the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries and bricks consistent with those produced in the mid-1600s. But it was Goss’s methodical research that transformed these archaeological finds into something far more significant.
Connecting the Past to a Tragic History
Through painstaking historical research, Goss was able to conclusively determine that this was property once owned by James and Elizabeth How. The homestead was first built around 1658 by James How and remained inhabited by Elizabeth’s daughters Mary and Abigail until 1717, with How descendants continuing to live on adjacent property for generations.
Elizabeth How, sometimes spelled Howe, was hanged on July 19, 1692, alongside four other innocent women: Sarah Good, Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, and Sarah Wildes. She was one of 19 people executed during the Salem witch trials.
Archaeological Validation
The significance of the discovery was further validated in 2008 when the Ipswich Historical Commission funded an archaeological dig that exposed the original chimney base. A Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Officer concluded that “there is no doubt that a seventeenth-to-eighteenth century site has been located and documentary research conducted by the homeowner strongly suggests an association with Elizabeth How.”
Preserving the Memory
The artifacts now on display at the Salem Witch Museum offer visitors a tangible connection to this period of history. The collection includes everyday items that would have been part of Elizabeth How’s daily life: a clay pipe, a pewter spoon, a glass bottle neck, pewter buttons, a buckle, and shards of glass likely from a window.
These seemingly simple objects carry profound weight. Personal items from the individuals executed during the 1692 witch hunt are rare—only a handful have been preserved over the generations. Each piece in this collection represents not just archaeological significance, but a human connection to the victims.
A Legacy of Determination
Perhaps most remarkably, these artifacts were donated by the Goss family in memory of Tammy, whose passionate curiosity and tireless determination made their authentication and preservation possible. Her dedication ensured that these important pieces of history would be preserved for future generations to study and remember.
The Elizabeth How homesite artifacts remind us that behind every historical tragedy were real people living real lives. They had homes, possessions, and families. Through Tammy Goss’s remarkable discovery and research, we can now see these pieces of that humanity preserved and remember not just the tragedy of the Salem witch trials, but the real people who suffered through them.
The artifacts are now permanently on display at the Salem Witch Museum, where they serve as both historical evidence and a memorial to Elizabeth How and all victims of the Salem witch trials.
The Salem Witch Museum is located at 19 ½ Washington Square North Salem, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.salemwitchmuseum.com or follow them on social media @salemwitchmuseum.
