Stories
Proctor's Ledge MemorialPhoto: Jangseung92, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Walking tour · Salem

Salem 1692: The Witch Trials Walk

Follow the accused from courtroom to gallows to memory

1 h 15 min7 stops2.2 mi

Start the walk

Stop 1 is free, no sign-up. All 7 for $4.99, refunded within 7 days if it isn't for you.

See the 7 stops

The 7 stops

  1. 1Start hereFree

    Proctor's Ledge Memorial

    The Ledge Salem Tried to Forget

    Free sample · 2:54
    0:002:54

    You're standing on Pope Street, at the foot of what Salem has always called Gallows Hill. It doesn't look like much: a quiet residential neighborhood, houses close on every side, about a mile from downtown. In front of you is a curved wall of granite set against a rocky slope. Look at the names cut into that stone. There are nineteen of them, and for more than 300 years, nobody could say for certain that this was where they died.

    In 1692, Salem hanged nineteen people for witchcraft. Fourteen were women and five were men. The first was Bridget Bishop, a woman from Salem Town who had already outlived two husbands and had a reputation her neighbors gossiped about. She was hanged on June 10. Eighteen more followed her over that summer and early fall.

    Then Salem did something very human. It looked away. Within a few years, the trials had become a shame the town wanted behind it. Maps of Salem from around 1700 mark Gallows Hill, but not a single spot on it where anyone was put to death. The memory didn't vanish. It just lost its address. For generations, people assumed the hangings happened up at the summit, and the summit is where the legend settled.

    In 1921, a local historian named Sidney Perley went back to the old records and came to a different conclusion. He thought the executions happened lower down, near the base of the hill, on a rocky outcrop called Proctor's Ledge. Perley was convincing enough that the City of Salem bought part of the ledge. But a historian's hunch is not proof, and the question stayed open.

    The answer came in January 2016. A team from the University of Virginia, called the Gallows Hill Project, combined historical records with modern research and confirmed it: Perley had been right. This ledge, the one in front of you, was the place. A year later, in 2017, the city dedicated this memorial.

    So here's the odd truth of where you're standing. Some of the most famous executions in American history happened in what is now, more or less, a neighborhood with backyards.

    And the reckoning has been just as slow as the remembering. Massachusetts started reversing convictions in 1711, then cleared more victims in 1957 and again in 2001. The last convicted Salem witch, Elizabeth Johnson Jr., wasn't officially exonerated until 2022. That's 329 years after she was found guilty. Before you go, read a few of those names on the wall out loud to yourself. For a long time, almost nobody here did.

    When you're ready, walk north on Pope Street, turn right onto Boston Street, left onto Federal, then right onto Monroe Street. It's about seventeen minutes to the Witch House, home of a judge who helped send people to this ledge.

The whole walk

7 stories across Salem

1 h 15 min · 7 stops · 2.2 mi

Starts at Proctor's Ledge Memorial and ends at The House of the Seven Gables.

  • Plays right here in your browser, or in the app
  • One purchase for your group, on up to 4 phones
  • Refunded within 7 days if it isn't for you

Plan your walk

    How long

    About 1 h 15 min for 2.2 mi with all 7 stories. Going inside the sites adds time.

    Start and finish

    Starts at Proctor's Ledge Memorial and ends at The House of the Seven Gables.

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    Questions people ask

    Can you walk around Salem without a tour?

    Yes. The witch trial sites are close together, and this walk links seven of them in 2.2 miles, from Proctor's Ledge Memorial to the House of the Seven Gables, with a story at each. Start whenever you like; there's nothing to book.

    How long does the Salem witch trials walking tour take?

    About 1 hour 15 minutes with all seven stories, walking 2.2 miles. Going inside the Witch House or the Salem Witch Museum adds time.

    How many people were executed in the Salem witch trials?

    Nineteen people were hanged for witchcraft in 1692, fourteen women and five men. Giles Corey was pressed to death for refusing to enter a plea.

    What is the Witch House?

    The home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, who bought it in 1675 and lived there for more than 40 years. People accused of witchcraft were brought there for examinations in the spring of 1692. It's the second stop.

    When is the best time to visit Salem?

    October is the busiest month, with Haunted Happenings events all month and crowded sidewalks. For a quieter walk, come in late spring or September, or start early in the day.

    Do I need the app?

    No. After you unlock, the tour plays right here in your browser: keep the screen on and tap each stop. The free Stories app adds GPS auto-play, so each story starts by itself when you arrive, with your phone in your pocket, and works offline.

    How many people can listen?

    One purchase covers your group on up to 4 phones. Share the link from your receipt, or everyone can sign in to the app with the same email.

    Does it work offline?

    In the app, yes: download the tour on Wi-Fi before you go. In the browser you need a signal, which is fine on most city streets; open the tour once before you leave.

    When can I start?

    Any time. It is self-guided, so there are no departure times and no group to keep up with. Pause for coffee and pick up where you left off.

    Can I give this tour as a gift?

    Yes. Tap "Give it as a gift", type their email and a note, and pick the day it arrives (Christmas morning works). They open it in their phone's browser; you get the receipt.

    Can I get a refund?

    Yes. If the tour did not work for you, email support@getstories.app within 7 days and we will refund it.

    Who made this tour?

    Stories writes each tour from public sources, checks every claim against them, and narrates it with a synthetic voice. The sources are listed at the end of this page; if you spot a mistake, tell us at support@getstories.app.

    About this tour and its sources

    You're standing at Proctor's Ledge, a rocky slope at the edge of a quiet neighborhood. Look at the low curved stone wall in front of you, and the names set into it. In 1692, this is where Salem hanged people it had convicted of witchcraft.

    Nineteen people died this way that year: fourteen women and five men. The first was Bridget Bishop, on June 10. For centuries, Salem wasn't sure where it had happened. Maps from around 1700 mark Gallows Hill but show no marker for the execution site. The town built a whole identity on witches, and somehow mislaid the place where real people were killed. It took until 2016 for researchers at the University of Virginia to confirm this ledge, and until 2017 for the city to dedicate a memorial here.

    That is what this walk is about. We'll ask what really happened in 1692, who it happened to, and how Salem has chosen to remember it, and to forget it. You'll meet judges and ministers, a man who refused to enter a plea, and a famous writer still wrestling with his family's part in it.

    Before you go, read a few of the names on the wall. The first story starts with them.

    Written from public sources, every claim checked against them, narrated by a synthetic voice. Last checked October 2026.

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