A team of researchers from Salem State University has discovered the site where 19 innocent people were hanged to death during the 1692 witch trials. The site has been identified as Proctor's Ledge, an area located between Proctor and Pope streets in Salem, Mass.
"We are happy to be able to bring years of debate to an end," Emerson Baker, who headed the research, said in a press release. "Our analysis draws upon multiple lines of research to confirm the location of the executions."
Previous beliefs pointed to the summit of Gallows Hill as the location of the hangings, and the strip of land was named "Witch Memorial Land" in 1936, despite no concrete evidence for the hangings. However, the new research shows that the rocky ledge near the base of the hill, close to Boston Street, is the likely location. The team used the research of historian Sidney Perley in combination with maps from various time periods and new technology to come to their conclusion.
"Ground-penetrating radar and high-tech aerial photography shed new light on the topography of the site as it is today and as it was in 1692," said Benjamin Ray, who participated in the research. "As a result, we can now say with confidence that Proctor's Ledge is the site of the hangings."
Although Proctor's Ledge is where the most infamous Salem witch murders took place, it's not the only site of death from the time - five others accused of being witches died in jail, and one was crushed to death, according to the Huffington Post.
"Salem, long known for a dark time in our past when people turned on each other, is now known as a community where people turn toward each other," said Kim Driscoll, mayor of Salem. "Having this site identified marks an important opportunity for Salem, as a city, to come together once again."
