Salem Cemetery Rules and Etiquette
Before visiting any cemetery it is important to remember a cemetery is a unique place. While it is part of the everyday scene, it is not part of everyday life. That is to say, it is a place where tranquility and quiet are the desired norm, and activities of everyday life should be suspended. Below are a couple tips when visiting a cemetery in or near Salem.
- Be respectful
- Avoid standing, leaning, or pushing on stones and tombs
- Remember that stone rubbings are strictly prohibited
- Stay on the paths
- Don’t litter
- Do not bring candles or open flames
- Know that dogs are not allowed
- Report suspicious behavior
- Visit only during open hours
3 Cemeteries Related to the Salem Witch Trials
Broad Street Cemetery
Across from Pickering House is the second oldest cemetery in Salem – Broad Street Cemetery. It opened in 1655 and is the final resting place of two famous figures in the Salem Witch Trials. Judge Jonathan Corwin and his nephew George Corwin, who was the High Sheriff during the trials, rest in the small Corwin family plot which is marked by a small, off-white obelisk.
In 2018 a new wooden sign was erected in the cemetery with a list of names and dates of notable people buried, both involved in the witch trials and not. The cemetery is open to the public until dusk every day.
Charter Street Cemetery (The Old Burying Point)
Charter Street Cemetery is the oldest European burial ground in Salem and among the oldest in the United States. The exact date it was established is uncertain, but the first recorded reference to the Old Burying Point, as it was also known, was in 1637. Among the notable figures buried here are Col. John Hathorne and Bartholomew Gedney, who both have connections to the Salem Witch Trials.
If you’re looking to visit, Charter Street Cemetery is open seven days a week from 10 am-5 pm, with last admission at 4:45 pm.
Howard Street Cemetery
While the Howard Street Cemetery was established in 1801, long after the Salem Witch Trials, it has a major connection to the events. It’s believed that it’s where Salem Witch Trials victim Giles Corey was pressed to death by Sheriff George Corwin in 1692 when he refused to confess to the accusations of witchcraft made against him, nor accuse anyone else.
Howard Street Cemetery is one of the stops on several ghost tours, as it’s believed that Corey haunts the cemetery and that he left a curse behind after his death.
Quick Guide to Salem’s Cemetery Imagery
- Hand (pointing up): hope for one’s soul to reach heaven
- Hand (pointing down): God reaching down from above for one’s soul
- Handshake: “goodbye” to earthly existence
- Hourglasses & scythes: passing of time
- Lamb: innocence (typically found on children’s graves)
- Skulls/skeletons: mortality
- Sun (setting): end of life on earth
- Sun (rising): resurrection
- Wheat: “Divine Harvest” or the passing of time
Other Salem Cemeteries To Visit
While not related to the Salem Witch Trials, we also recommend visiting Greenlawn Cemetery, which now holds arboretum status, and Harmony Grove Cemetery, which features the 1904 gothic style Blake Chapel.
Greenlawn Cemetery
Founded in 1807, Greenlawn Cemetery is a historic cemetery that is still in active use. But it’s also visited by nature lovers. Beyond just the rural cemetery style that gives it winding lanes and beautiful landscaping, the 100-acre property is home to the second largest number of specimen plants in Massachusetts.
In spring and fall, the Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery hold two free tours every year that focus on the history, trees, nature, and notable figures of the cemetery. They also host other activities within the Greenlawn Cemetery that are also free and open to the public.
Harmony Grove Cemetery
Founded in late 1839 as a picturesque final resting place, Harmony Grove Cemetery was patterned after the rural cemeteries of the English and French. Among the 57 acres of natural beauty, there are also stunning historical buildings you can visit. Blake Chapel is a beautiful gothic style structure built in 1904, there’s a restored 1890’s era barn, and a gothic revival caretaker cottage built in 1840.
Harmony Grove Cemetery is a beautiful place to explore whether you enjoy history, architecture, or nature. The cemetery is open from sunrise to sunset daily. Please only walk on the avenues, roads, and paths to preserve the natural beauty of the landscape.
1600s Salem Cemeteries
Salem’s earliest cemeteries were established in the 1600s when Puritanism was widely practiced in Massachusetts. Puritans understood the Bible literally, and thus never used religious imagery (even in their churches). As a result, angels and crosses were not used on Puritan cemetery markers, instead they used Death’s Heads for mortality along with hourglasses and scythes to mark the passing of time culminating in death.
The style of Death’s Heads (winged skulls) depended on the carver. Local craftsmen carved gravestones as side jobs, though occasionally carvings from artists 10-15 miles away were used if the family of the deceased preferred and was willing to pay for it.
1700s Salem Cemeteries
17th century tombstones featured lengthy epitaphs with language that like most Puritan beliefs was quite literal. Many began with phrasing like “Here lies the body of” to make it clear that the entirety of the deceased was buried.
Changing religious beliefs in the late mid-late 18th century resulted in different preferences in funerary art. A departure from the Death’s Heads, soul effigies featured winged cherubs symbolic of the deceased’s soul moving towards resurrection. Epitaphs reflected this change, and language that once read “Here lies the body of” began to say “In memory of” instead.
1800s – 1900s Salem Cemeteries
By the late 18th-19th centuries, Neoclassical styles became increasingly popular in how New Englanders symbolized mourning, resulting in the urns (sometimes draped) and willow trees you see in historic cemeteries today. Monuments and obelisks, both borrowed from Greek and Roman architecture, and large tombs were added to select cemetery plots to showcase wealth.
Salem’s cemeteries also include chest or table tombs, which are above-ground and appear to have “lids.” These tombs do not contain the remains of the deceased; they function similarly to tombstones above buried remains.
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