The Burying Point, Salem, MA, USA

While on our travels around the USA and passing through Salem, we couldn't resist stopping at the second oldest cemetery in the U.S. Called The Burying Point it is the second oldest cemetery in the USA and holds the graves of notable residents of Salem village. Although many ‘witches’ were hung during the hysteria if the Salem Witch hunts of the 1860’s, the ‘witches’ bodies are not interred here as they were placed in unmarked graves somewhere in the outskirts of the town, the location of which has been lost over time. There is however, a monument to these unfortunate souls at what is considered to be the location of the original Gallows at Proctors Ledge. (See Blog by that name for more details on that)

This is a very pretty cemetery and has a serene feel about it. I suspect that many of the graves in this graveyard are not as authentic as the town would wish you to believe! I’m certainly no expert in old head stones but I’m pretty sure that graves of this very early era would not have had skull candy skulls incorporated into the design of the headstone! The neatly arranged rows of graves seem too well laid out, incredibly moss and lichen-free, and with every word and etching of the majority of the slate headstones easily read. I’m sure that some of the graves are real but many, I suspect, have been added to draw the crowds of tourists who, on the day of my visit, stood at the entrance of the graveyard shrieking loudly with laughter while posing for smiling selfies with the graves in the background. Close to the centre of town, this was an interesting place to visit as it is the resting place of several prominent citizens of the town during the witch hunt era and the Civil war and well worth a look as a place of historical significance.

Beside this graveyard stands a monument to the people who were hung or killed as witches during the Salem witch-hunt era. This has been designed as a place of calm reflection and is a grassed area edged with stone slab seats on which are etched the names of those who were executed as witches during that era.