Newburyport in Essex County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Mrs. Elizabeth Morse
Witch of Newbury
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 1, 2024
1. Mrs. Elizabeth Morse Marker
Erected 1999 by Morse Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Law Enforcement • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1679.
Location. 42° 48.676′ N, 70° 52.168′ W. Marker is in Newburyport, Massachusetts, in Essex County. It is at the intersection of Liberty Street and Market Square, on the right when traveling west on Liberty Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 22 Market Sq, Newburyport MA 01950, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Massachusetts’ North Shore, in Greater Boston, and in the Merrimack Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Market Square Tea Burning (within shouting distance of this marker); Newburyport Firehouse Center (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Watts' Cellar (about 400 feet away); Coast Guard Bicentennial Marker (about 600 feet away); Newburyport Custom House (about 600 feet away); The Memory of the Officers and Men (about 600 feet away); Newburyport Sailor's Memorial (about 700 feet away); Fighting for Double Victory: Newburyport's Black Soldiers and Sailors (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newburyport.
Also see . . .
this page online
1. Elizabeth Morse Homestead, Site of. A dozen years before the Salem witch trials, a troubling incident in Newburyport (then a rural, northeastern part of Newbury) took place in the home of William and Elizabeth Morse. (Salem Witch Museum) (Submitted on November 11, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. Elizabeth Morse, First Witch of Newbury (PDF). In the seventeenth century, witches were believed to make a compact with the Devil to torment the godly. As agents of the Devil, they caused dissention in a town, a church or between neighbors, and in some cases witches were believed to cause sickness or death in people or their livestock. It is no coincidence that Elizabeth Morse was a midwife, and a successful one at that. (Wendy West, via The Morse Society) (Submitted on November 11, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 1, 2024
2. Mrs. Elizabeth Morse Marker
via The Morse Society (Public Domain)
3. Elizabeth Morse Memorial Grave Marker
Denied a Christian burial as a convicted witch, her gravesite is unknown. In October 2010, The Morse Society placed and dedicated a stone in memory of William and Elizabeth Morse in the Burying Ground of the First Settlers, in Newbury, MA.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 11, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 443 times since then and 74 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 11, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
