I'm a Salem resident and I am on a mission to tour all the local attractions AND places of relevance.

About this one:

The Salem Witch Trials Memorial was built for the tricentennial of the infamous trials, presented to the public in 1991 - by Arthur Miller! - and dedicated in August 1992.

It consists of granite walls with 20 benches, one for each victim (hanged and pressed to death, not the ones who died in prison), some engraving with the words of the accused, and locust trees, which supposedly are the type of trees used for the hangings.

It is a simple, somber and dignified memorial remembering the names of the victims, a great way to honor their memory and never forget.

It is conveniently located in downtown Salem, just behind the Peabody Essex Museum, in between the Charter Street Cemetery (aka The Burying Point) and the Samuel Pickman house, an historical house that is now Charter Street Cemetery's Welcoming Center (the graveyard and the memorial seat next to each other but no "witches" were buried here - you can also read my review of this cemetery).

The memorial is free and open all year round.

This been said, the Salem Witch Trials Memorial is nowadays a very touristy destination, often overcrowded, a bit trivialized by the constant flow of guided tours and such. But it is so easy to reach once you are already downtown and it makes such a quick visit - a couple of minutes tops - that there is really no reason not to visit it.

I'd recommend, unless you are already very familiar with the trials, to first visit any of the museums/attractions dedicated to the history of the trials, and then drop by this memorial for a more meaningful experience.

PROs

Very conveniently located, free, open all year round, pictures are allowed.

A simple, yet effective memorial, picture-worthy (kind-off). A way to honor the victims and never forget.

CONs

Unless it's off season, you'll probably find it quite crowded. A bit touristy. All the dead flowers makes it look unattended (which is not, and it is great that so many people want to leave something to honor the memory of the victims, don't get me wrong).

A NOTE ABOUT THE OTHER MEMORIAL IN SALEM --> Proctor's Ledge Memorial is the other Salem Witch Trials memorial, more recently built, located in the exact place where the executions were performed, a 15/20 minutes walk from downtown. It is similar in the way it remembers too the names of all the victims in a small, simple setting. In that review, I underline the fact that Proctor's Ledge Memorial is of remarkable historic relevance because of its location and I gave 5 stars, but I did no recommend to walk all the way there if you have limited time in Salem. To the memorial of this review I instead gave 4 stars but said that there is no reason not to visit it. This might seam contradictory 😊, but everything is a matter of priorities. If you are looking for a place to get familiar with the names of the victims and pay your respects, this memorial (the one downtown) is the perfect location for that.