Gallows Hill

Striking in its simplicity, the Memorial is surrounded on three sides by a handcrafted granite wall. Inscribed in the stone threshold entering the Memorial are the victims’ protests of innocence. These protests are interrupted mid-sentence by the wall, symbolizing society’s indifference to oppression. Six locust trees, the last to flower and the first to lose their leaves, represent the injustice of the trials.

Benches within the Memorial perimeter bear the names and the execution dates of each of the 20 victims, creating a quiet, contemplative environment in which to evoke the spirit and strength of those people who chose to die rather than compromise their personal truths.

The Witch Trials Memorial is located on Liberty Street between Charter Street and Derby Street and is open from dawn till dusk. It is handicapped accessible and is appropriate for all ages.

Land in the area was purchased by the city of Salem in 1936 and renamed "Witch Memorial Land" but no memorial was constructed on the site, and popular misconception persisted that the executions had occurred at the top of Gallows Hill. Rebecca Eames of Boxford, who was brought to Salem for questioning, stated that she was held at "the house below the hill" where she could see people attending executions. This helped researchers rule out the summit as the execution site. In January 2016, the University of Virginia announced its project team had determined the execution site on Gallows Hill in Salem, where nineteen "witches" had been hanged in public. Members of the Gallows Hill Project had worked with the city of Salem using old maps and documentation, as well as sophisticated GIS and ground-penetrating radar technology, to survey the area of what became known as Proctor's Ledge, located at the base of the hill, which they say was easier for spectators to reach than the top of Gallows Hill. The city owns the property and dedicated the Proctor's Ledge Memorial to the victims there in 2017. A documentary, Gallows Hill – Nineteen, is in production about these events.