At the corner of Charter and Liberty Streets sits the Charter Street Cemetery, better known as the Old Burying Point. Established in 1637, it’s the oldest cemetery in Salem and one of the oldest in Massachusetts. For nearly four centuries, this acre of ground has held some of the city’s most notable early residents—merchants, ministers, ship captains, and at least two men who helped condemn the accused during the witch trials.

The earliest burials date to the mid-1600s. The headstones—mostly slate and sandstone—were carved by local artisans like the Lamson family of Charlestown, whose work defined New England gravestone design for generations. Skulls, wings, and hourglasses dominate the stones here, each a message about mortality carved deep enough to survive the salt air and centuries of frost.

Among those buried here:

Judge John Hathorne (1641–1717), one of the magistrates of the 1692 witch trials and the great-great-grandfather of author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hathorne was known for never repenting his role in the executions.

Bartholomew Gedney (1640–1698), another magistrate involved in the trials and a respected Salem physician.

Reverend John Higginson (1616–1708), one of Salem’s early ministers, who later urged moderation after the trials ended.

Captain Richard More (1614–1696), one of the Mayflower passengers—one of the few direct links between Salem and the earliest English settlers.

Samuel Bradstreet, son of colonial governor Simon Bradstreet and poet Anne Bradstreet.

Mary Corey, widow of Giles Corey, who was pressed to death during the trials in 1692.

Philip English (1651–1736), a wealthy merchant accused during the witchcraft panic who escaped imprisonment and later returned to reclaim his property.

Over the years, the cemetery suffered from neglect, weather, and foot traffic. By the 1970s many stones had shifted or fallen, and the site’s boundaries were uncertain. A major preservation effort beginning in the 2010s stabilized headstones, corrected records, and improved drainage. The project also reopened public access after decades of limited visitation.

Just beyond the back wall stands the Witch Trials Memorial, dedicated in 1992. Twenty granite benches, each engraved with the name and date of execution of an accused witch, project from the stone wall that borders the cemetery. The memorial sits just a few feet from the graves of men who sentenced them—an accidental but fitting juxtaposition of guilt and remembrance.

The Charter Street Cemetery isn’t a grand space. It’s small, uneven, and hemmed in by modern buildings. But standing among the tilted stones, you can still read the story of early Salem—its ambition, its fear, and its survival—all written in slate.