The term became associated with ghost stories and horror novels because early Gothic novels were often associated with the Middle Ages and with things wild, bloody, and barbarous of long ago as J. A. Cuddon puts it in his Dictionary of Literary Terms (381).
Hatfield, Massachusetts. Hatfield is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,249 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Part of the town is included in the census-designated place of Hatfield.
Salem, MA. Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County. Home to Salem State University, the Salem Willows Park and the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem is a residential and tourist area which includes the neighborhoods of Salem Neck, The Point, South Salem and North Salem, Witchcraft Heights, Pickering Wharf, and the McIntire Historic District (named after Salem's famous architect and carver, Samuel McIntire).