Proctor's Ledge

Historical Site Salem, Massachusetts

This is the location where 19 innocent people were hanged during the Salem witch trials.

It is called Proctor's Ledge, and it is situated on Pope Street in Salem, Massachusetts.

The Salem witch trials took place between February 1692 and May 1693. During this time, 30 people were found guilty of witchcraft.

Nineteen of the convicted (fourteen women and five men) were executed by hanging at the site on four separate dates in 1692.

The memorial in July 2025. Credit: Google Maps.

For many years, it was believed that the victims were hanged at the summit of Gallows Hill. However, the location was not memorialized, as the residents of Salem viewed the executions as a shameful event that should be confined to the past.

In 1921, a local historian named Sidney Perley concluded that the executions had occurred near the base of the hill, at a site known as Proctor's Ledge.

The City of Salem purchased part of the land in 1936, calling it "Witch Memorial Land."

No memorial was built, however, as there was confusion about the exact location. Planning such a development was also challenging, as it was a small, residential area with limited parking.

In 2010, a team of researchers on the Gallows Hill Project began using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to compare 1,692 eyewitness accounts against historical maps.

They specifically focused on accounts from people who could see the hangings from their homes.

Proctor's Ledge map — Using GIS systems and old maps, researchers determined that this particular section would have been visible to witnesses on Boston Street. Other parts of Gallows Hill would have been far less visible due to the topography. Although Proctor's Ledge is now an inconspicuous rocky outcrop in a residential neighborhood, it would have been a much more prominent site during the 1600s.

In January 2016, the team confirmed that Proctor's Ledge was the exact execution spot.

The city built a memorial at the site for the 325th anniversary of the trials.

Victims — The memorial displays the names of the 19 victims who were executed at the site. The above photograph shows the names of Bridget Bishop, Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin, and Rebecca Nurse. Bishop was the first person to be executed during the Salem witch trials. Credit: Kim Thompson. August 2017.

It was designed by landscape architect Martha Lyon and dedicated on July 19th, 2017. The memorial features a semicircular wall that has stones engraved with the names of the victims.