Witch Trial Victims' Memorial Seeks Donations

SALEM, MA – A memorial on the probable site of the 1692 witch trials is asking for donations, and will recognize donors at the dedication ceremony.

According to a statement from Mayor Kim Driscoll's office, researchers and historians identified a location as the probable site of the 1692 witch trial executions. Descendants of the victims helped city staff, a landscape architect, the Salem Award Foundation, local historians, and neighbors, to develop a memorial on the site.

The memorial will involve a landscaped slope from the ledge where the executions are believed to have taken place. At the bottom of the slope, on Pope Street, there will be a semi-circular area surrounded by a stone wall. Stones with the names of the nineteen individuals who were hanged near the site will be set into the wall and lit from the ground below with a single light on each name. In the middle, there will be an oak tree, to symbolize endurance and dignity.

Donors can specify that they would like to donate anonymously. Those interested in donating can send a check payable to the City of Salem, with "Proctor's Ledge" on the memo line, to City of Salem, Office of the Mayor, 93 Washington St., Salem, MA, 01970.

Image via Martha Lyon Landscape Architecture and the City of Salem