1692 trialsFree to visit · Salem, Mass.
Charter Street Burying Point
The oldest burying ground in Salem, in use before 1637, and the one that shares a wall with the memorial. Free, open in daylight, and in October it needs a reservation you do not pay for.
Charter Street Burying Point
In use before 1637, and the resting place of one of the judges — but of none of the people he condemned.
The ground was in use before 1637, which makes it one of the oldest in the country. Judge John Hathorne, who examined the accused in 1692, is buried in it; none of the people executed that year is, because they were denied burial in consecrated ground.
The city restored it and reopened it with a visitor entrance on Charter Street. The stones are slate, thin and leaning, and the paths between them are narrow — this is the one place in Salem where the crowd is the problem.
The memorial is on the other side of its west wall — the two share a boundary, so almost everybody sees both in one stop.
Getting there
The October reservation rule is the city’s and it changes year to year, so check the burying point’s own visiting page before you go.
51 Charter Street
42.5207, −70.8921Google MapsApple MapsOpenStreetMap
Before you go
- In October a free digital reservation is required, released on the day
- Do not touch, lean on or make rubbings of the stones
- It is a burial ground, not a park
- Witch Trials Memorial → Charter Street Burying Point · 135 m, 2 min on foot
Walks that stop here
Four of the walks we list name this place in their own description. That is the test we use — not our guess about where a route goes.
beyond the walkBoston to Salem by Train: Walking Tour, Stay & Play All Day2.5 hours · ★ 4.6 · 42 reviewsfrom $120
night walksGhosts of Salem Walking Tour1.5 hours · after sunset · ★ 4.03 · 59 reviewsfrom $29.99
night walksGhosts of the Witch City Ultimate Extended Tour2 hours · late evening · ★ 3.78 · 45 reviewsfrom $30
1692 trialsHistorical & Witch Trials Walking Tour: SEE IT ALL2.5 hours · new, no reviews yetfrom $64