The New England hag, the American witch, is nationally identified with the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Mention the word “witch” and ask for a community associated with it: Salem will come to mind. The town of Salem has ambivalently accepted this connection, and has struggled between appreciation of tourist dollars and discomfort with its bad reputation stemming from association with persecution and witchcraft.

On Essex Street in Salem, a dramatic representation of the town's response to its history appears in the presence of two buildings across the street from one another. One is the Essex Institute, repository of an extraordinary collection of information on the town of Salem and on history and lore related to the witchcraft episode and various responses to it since. The other is a store, associated with Laurie Cabot, the “official witch of Salem,” where information about witchcraft and products related to it are sold. Various controversies within the community have centered on her presence and activities, and enough resistance to her has existed that, when the idea of naming her the official witch of Salem was proposed, the Mayor of Salem and others opposed it. However, in 1977 Governor Michael Dukakis asserted his authority, and Laurie Cabot gained the recognition she had sought for several years.