The Old Burying Point in Salem, MA was opened in 1637 and is the final resting place of many of Salem’s prominent citizens. However, it is not considered a cemetery, which would be a county or city mandated plot of land dedicated to the burial of bodies, nor a graveyard, which would be located on a citizen’s territory or land. It is simply an area where the people of Salem began burying their dead.
However, just outside the gates to the Old Burying is the Witch Trials Memorial Site for the 20 innocent victims who were executed during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. The names and dates of each of their deaths are carved into stone benches, decorated with flowers left by those who come to pay respects.
In the main entrance to the memorial site, pleas of innocence are also carved into the stone floor, cut off on each end to represent the way the victims were ignored and talked over during their trials. Among them are “God knows I am innocent,” “I am no witch,” and “Oh Lord, help me! It is false. I am clear.” Additionally, in the main entrance to the Old Burying Point, the phrase etched into the steps reads, “I am innocent; I am wronged,” forcing those that walk into the cemetery of these victims’ murderers to remember the words of the oppressed.
