Nestled behind the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, is the final resting place for some of Salem’s earlier residents; the Burying Point. Located among the bustling downtown Salem area, the Burying Point is the oldest cemetery in Salem, MA,
Tour groups and visitors from all over the country walk over sacred graves. In fact, the Burying Point is one of the most popular attractions in Salem.
The cemetery is well kept and the vast majority of the visitors are respectful of the tenants there. The one thing I find to be a little weird, besides the obvious weirdness of walking around a cemetery as though it was an “attraction”, was the “haunted house” located feet away from the cemetery. I’m generally not one to care either way, but it still felt odd hearing ghastly screams and people ordering hot apple cider while we stroll along the cemetery.
Although many headstones are difficult to read, it is worth observing that many of them show the female deceased as the “wife of…” Just another sign of the times.
While many of his relatives reside in the cemetery of the overly commercialized town of Salem, Nathaniel Hawthorne is not buried in Burying Point. Instead he rests in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts.
The storied feud of Nathaniel Hawthorne and his ancestors is of legend. Just to recap, John Hathorne, a Salem magistrate, was appointed by the then Governor Sir William Phips to be a judge in the Salem Witch Trials. However, during the trials, he acted more like a prosecutor than a judge. He would often presume the guilt of an accused witch and demand they confess to witchcraft as well as pressuring accused witches to name other witches after they were inevitably found guilty or they confessed under pressure of Hathorne and his court. He became known as a “hanging judge”.
In light of his ancestors misdeeds, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Judge Hathorne’s great grandson, would change his name by adding a “w” after the “Ha” in his last name and he would distance himself farther from Judge Hathorne by penning The Scarlet Letterand speaking out against the deeds of his ancestor.
Judge William Hathorne’s grave is on the left in this photo, next to his son’s much larger gravestone. No one left anything on his gravestone.
I wanted to thank everyone who reads, likes and leaves comments on my blogs. It is appreciated. I also wanted to mention that I have begun (resumed) blogging as Mr.Wayne after a fairly long hiatus. I have always been a writer at heart and, after being inspired by so many wonderful blogs on wordpress, I have decided to resume my written blogs again, in addition to my photoblogs. Please view my most recent post What Could Have Been. Thank you.
New England Nomad 
October 30th, 2015 at 3:18 am
I’ve been there and loved Nathaniel Hawthorne’s home.
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October 30th, 2015 at 10:55 pm
I’ve actually never visited his home. I will make sure to see it on my next visit.
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October 30th, 2015 at 12:42 pm
Thank you so much for this very interesting post.
I have not been to Salem myself, but am not surprised that it is now commercialized as a tourist attraction.
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October 30th, 2015 at 9:23 pm
Thank you! Yes, you must see it for yourself. It is rich in history, beautiful (particularly in the fall) and a lot of fun! The only downside is the over commercialization. But, the city still has a very quaint atmosphere to it. There are no huge shopping department stores, unless you count the Museum Mall which is more of a scaled down shopping center.
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October 30th, 2015 at 9:36 pm
I actually really want to visit the area to research out a family lore of connection to Salem. One of those quick relocations to a remote area to avoid prosecution of strong women following a land grab.
I enjoyed your post very much.
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October 30th, 2015 at 8:22 pm
This is so interesting! I really wish to visit this place and the entire city. Salem always seems very mysterious. x
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October 30th, 2015 at 10:29 pm
Thank you. Yes, Salem is a really cool place. And there’s so much more to Salem than its checkered past. Its coastline and harbor are a great place to visit, especially during the spring and summer.
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November 1st, 2015 at 8:19 pm
Thanks for this tour. Heading to Mr. WAYNE’S now.
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November 1st, 2015 at 9:24 pm
Thank you Joseph!
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November 2nd, 2015 at 1:56 am
Marvelous.
As I have posted myself, I am a devoted admirer of cemeteries for any number of reasons, including as you’ve observed, history, funereal traditions, the remembrance of individual lives, the recognition of the continued cycle of life and death, beautiful landscapes and cemetery architecture and sculpture, and so forth. The spiritual (ghostly and/or religious) aspect of cemeteries seems to me, regardless of my own beliefs, to require a certain level of decorum, day or night, among the living. But I’m also of the view that the dead can no longer be harmed or helped by anything the living do; physical remains seem far too small to contain the true essence of what makes us who we are, so I very much doubt that anybody underground would take it ill if I walk over his or her grave, so long as I do so with mindful respect.
I’m really enjoying your graveyard explorations as a result, and know from our little foray in the NE in July that there are many cemeteries full of the best of the aforementioned characteristics. I’m glad you’re taking us all on the visits with you!
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November 2nd, 2015 at 10:28 am
Thank you, Kathryn. It’s striking how what you wrote resonated with me. I agree that we should have respect for the dead (as we should the living of course). I also think there is a sort of comfort in knowing you can no longer be harmed after we pass.
Yes, there are so many cemeteries, memorials and other monuments to remember those we’ve lost. That is one thing I can attest to. We do remember our figures with lasting memorials. Thank you again for stopping and leaving such a thoughtful comment!
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November 3rd, 2015 at 5:54 pm
I think it would be very interesting to wander amongst the graves reading the headstones. Sad also. I always feel awful if I step on a grave but sometimes you don’t even realize it because of the strange way they might be laid out. I would love to visit this area especially to view the coastline.
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November 4th, 2015 at 2:45 am
I know what you mean. I do have a curiosity about the people interred in any cemetery. Who were they? What were the really like? Who did they leave behind? Each gravestone really does have a story. You would love it out here! Come visit!
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June 14th, 2017 at 10:55 am
Hello From Camden Maine. I have been working on my genealogy since the late 1980s. I have on my mother’s side the Putnam family, Deacon Edward Putnan and on my father’s side, George and Anne (Hooker) Alcock and of course their daughters, granddaughter and great granddaughter who were charged and one dying in jail after being convicted, Ann (Alcock) Foster. I look forward to visiting the cemetery this year. Thanks for the photos!
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June 14th, 2017 at 11:14 am
That is very interesting and sad, Mary. Visiting the cemetery must surely be a much more significant and emotional experience for you and your family. I look forward to seeing your post from your visit to lovely Salem. I am sure you will enjoy it there despite the emotional aspect of your visit. Thank you for sharing.
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November 3rd, 2017 at 9:43 am
Thank you for sharing a most interesting post and photographs.
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November 3rd, 2017 at 11:04 am
Thank you!
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November 14th, 2017 at 6:31 am
Interesting! I live in Europe, so I knew little of this history. Only that Salem features a lot in tv series and films, so I had a vague idea of what it’s about. The real history makes it much more interesting to me.
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November 14th, 2017 at 5:13 pm
The history of the area, and this store in particular, is so interesting. Very often, we get all of our information and history from tv and movies and unfortunately they are not always accurate.
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November 15th, 2017 at 11:44 pm
I totally enjoyed your post….please resume and let me read more of the witch trials and more American history. Oh and thanks for stopping by at the Canadian Cats.
Jean
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November 17th, 2017 at 1:27 pm
Thank you, Jean! I will definitely continue to cover more of this and other parts of American history.
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November 25th, 2017 at 4:09 am
Such an interesting post. ‘The Scarlet Letter’ is a great read and your insights into Hawthorn’s forebear really add another dimension to the story. Thank you very much.
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November 26th, 2017 at 12:35 am
Thank you Carmel. It certainly does add to the historical background. It’s such an interesting story.
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December 5th, 2017 at 8:31 pm
[…] that the Pickman house is situated next to two interesting landmarks: the Witch Trials Memorial and Old Burying Point Cemetery. The Witch Trials Memorial was created in remembrance of the twenty people who were put to death as […]
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April 6th, 2018 at 12:56 am
Fascinating! Thank you for writing about this.
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April 6th, 2018 at 5:49 pm
Thank you!
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May 4th, 2018 at 3:53 pm
Mary Corey was NOT accused of being a witch. If someone WAS accused of being a witch, they would NOT have been allowed to be buried on holy ground because of their association with the Devil. Mary was Giles Corey’s secondwife who died in 1688 four years before the witch craft trials. Giles and his third wife, Martha, were both accused of being witches and were killed. She was hanged. He was pressed to death. There are two benches in the witchcraft memorial which is next to old burying point which are dedicated to them. These are memorial benches and not their graves. Their place of eternal rest is unknown. Bob Gautreau 5/4/2018 for Salem Historical Tours 978-745-0666.
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May 7th, 2018 at 6:49 pm
Thank you, Bob.
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June 10th, 2018 at 8:05 am
I love wandering through cemeteries and imagining what the peoples lives might’ve been like and I’ve always been intrigued by the Salem witch stories. Very interesting! I’ll have to pick up a copy of the Scarlet Letter! Thanks for the history lesson
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June 10th, 2018 at 8:12 am
There are so many stories in those cemeteries, especially from that era in New England. You’ll love the book! Thank you!
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June 22nd, 2018 at 12:00 pm
I really like your posts!
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June 22nd, 2018 at 1:14 pm
Thank you so much!
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July 8th, 2018 at 2:12 am
Are the inscriptions on the tombstones legible? They would be an interested study in the English of the day.
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July 8th, 2018 at 12:52 pm
Some of the inscriptions are visible. A lot of them have faded over time though.
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