Five places to explore Salem’s witchy past -- and the memorials to its victims

There can be no spookier place to be on Halloween than the places where alleged witches were tried and hanged 300 years ago in and around Salem, Mass.

This grim chapter in America’s history led to 14 women and six men being convicted and executed between 1692 and 1693.

These days, Salem draws thousands of people to its more lighthearted Halloween events that go on the entire month of October.

But to understand what happened during the famed Witch Trials, you may want to visit national historic sites and parks that offer a chance to re-examine the injustice inflicted upon the victims.

The Witch Trials Memorial at 98 New Liberty St. It was dedicated in 1992 and features 20 stone granite benches backed by a stone wall.

Inscribed on the bench, you’ll find the names of each person and how he or she was executed. Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel oversaw the dedication.

The Corwin House (also called the Witch House) at 310 Essex St. It dates to 1692 and is where merchant Jonathan Corwin lived. He was tapped to serve as one of the judges who tried the accused witches.

The Salem Village Witchcraft Victims’ Memorial in nearby Danvers (the modern-day site of Salem Village). It is across from the site where the Salem Village Meeting House once stood. The meeting house is where many “witchcraft examinations” took place.

The Rebecca Nurse Homestead at 149 Pine St. in Danvers. It was the home of one of the victims, Rebecca Nurse, whose body was buried on the site after her execution.

Gallows Hill on Proctor Street in Salem. This the approximate location (lots of speculation on the exact spot) where executions took place.

On the top of the hill there’s a park open to the public where you can try to imagine what the victims’ last moments were like.

For more information on historical places to go in the Salem area, try these two: Salem Maritime National Historic Site and the Essex Natural Heritage Area.

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