Gallows Hill

Gallows Hill in Salem, Massachusetts carried the weight of the 1692 witch trials for centuries, though Proctor’s Ledge is now identified as the true execution site. The steep slope and missing waterway undermined the old belief, while a clear view from a nearby home and a boat path to the ledge matched the surviving accounts. The mistake endures because a dramatic hill sounds like justice, but the evidence points to a smaller, reachable place where the carts could climb and the bodies could be recovered.