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Gallows Hill, Salem, M.A.

At long last, while visiting Salem for the day during their week's stay on Cape Cod, September 2006, Diane and Kieran found Gallows Hill.

According to the website of the famous Salem Witch Museum:

23. Summit of Gallows Hill (Plate 26; intersection of Hanson and South Streets, best approached from Hanson Street).

The Salem witchcraft authority, Charles W. Upham, chose this hill as the probable site of the hangings of the nineteen condemned witches in 1692. Executions for witchcraft occurred here on June 10, July 19, August 19, and September 22. After the September hangings, the Reverend Nicholas Noyes, turning to the eight bodies hanging from the tree, remarked,
"What a sad thing it is to see Eight Firebrands of Hell hanging there." The present author believes that the actual site of the executions lies on a lower hill nearer the town. The great height and rugged terrain of this hill would have precluded transporting the condemned to this site in a cart, which is known to have occurred. ¬©¬ÝCopyright 1996 - 2005 Salem Witch Museum.

Diane and Kieran would have to agree with the above opinion, as they did not sense or photograph anything out of the ordinary while they climbed to the summit of the alleged execution site, which now serves as a playground for local children. Just the same, however, they were pleased to finally see the location which the locals seem to want to keep a mystery to all those who seek it. Odd, since the witch trials and executions of the 1690’Äôs is the source of Salem’Äôs income!