Category: US – Massachusetts

Salem is haunted. Not just by the ghosts of the Salem Witch Trials, but by other troubled spirits as well.

I’ve investigated Salem many times, including when GhoStock 2009 was held there.

So, I’m familiar with its ghosts… the ones people talk about, as well as they ones they don’t.

From 2008 through 2010, I researched on-site, discovering a wealth of hidden ghost stories related to Salem and the city’s famous Witch Trials.

(Of course, it helps that I’m descended from two 17th-century Salem families. Perhaps I have additional resonance with the spirits of Salem?)

Three very narrow and straight ley lines connect 90% of the hauntings around Salem. They predict where strange things will happen, usually within a few yards.

These articles may be helpful when you’re ghost hunting in Salem:

Salem’s “Judges’ Line” locations – Energy lines (ley lines) that connect many of Salem’s most haunted sites.

Gallows Hill – Proctor’s Ledge may be the real “gallows hill” where the witches were hung and their bodies discarded. However, the namesake location is worth visiting (if only to say you’ve been there) and may offer some research opportunities.

Proctor’s Ledge – The most likely site where the men and women – falsely accused of witchcraft – were executed.

Witch Hill (aka Whipple Hill) – One of the most infamous locations connected with apparent “witch” activity in Salem Village. It’s also one of the loveliest and eeriest sites for ghost hunting.

GhoStock 7 Report: Salem Inn – A brief summary of my 2009 investigation at one of Salem’s most charmingly haunted inns.

Also, you may enjoy my friend Jordan’s book, 13 Haunted Places in Salem.

Jordan grew up near Salem, as I did, and has compiled a quick guide for visitors. (I was among the ghost hunters she consulted for insights.)

It’s a very short guide to many of Salem’s haunts, but handy to have with you when you’re visiting “Witch City” and want to know what’s haunted, why it’s haunted, and how to find each location.

The Judges’ Line of Salem, Massachusetts

Every time I study profoundly haunted communities, patterns seem to emerge.

Patterns of tragedy. Patterns of injustice. And a pattern of reported hauntings.

In my 2007 book, The Ghosts of Austin, Texas, I talked about two major patterns connecting almost all hauntings in downtown Austin.

In Salem, Massachusetts, I’ve found an almost chilling pattern. It connects many prominent figures – victims and ruthless accusers – as well as events of the Salem Witch Trials.

Haunted ley lines and Salem’s ghosts

I’m not sure how other researchers overlooked these eerie connections that leave ghostly tracks across Salem and Boston’s North Shore.

However, paranormal patterns are among my specialties, and Salem’s landscape confirms these connections.

I’m calling one of these lines “The Judges’ Line.” It seems to be a ley line.

Ley lines are lines or paths that connect sites with unusual energy. They could be major churches or temples, sites of violence and tragedy, or have some other unusual – but clear and distinct – connection.

Some speculate that energy flows along those paths, and the energy was there even before the church was built or the violence occurred.

According to some theories, that energy may magnify the emotions or affect the thinking of people when they are on or near a ley line.

When I studied Salem’s history and it’s ghost stories, I saw a pattern.

It connects significant homes and businesses related to the judicial side of the Salem Witch Trials.

Even stranger, that same line also indicates where modern-day Salem judges have purchased homes.

The line extends directly to Gallows Hill Park, the most likely site of the 1692 hangings during the Salem Witch Trials.

Here’s a bird’s eye view of that line, related to the entire Salem, Massachusetts area:

In most cases, this line is ruler-straight, and it’s feet wide, not miles.

Here’s my preliminary, hand drawn map of the main locations.

You can use this – and a full-sized map of Salem – to find the spots I’ve indicated, and where the line extends.

Sites along Salem’s haunted ley line

(Numbers represent sites related to accusers. Letters are related to victims of the trials.)

1. Chestnut Street (represented by a straight, heavy black line) – Many modern-day judges and elected officials choose this street for their homes.

2. Judge Corwin’s home, also known as “Witch House” since he condemned so many witches during the Salem Witch Trials. The house’s original location was closer to the line. Later residents moved it.

3. Judge Hathorne’s home, also associated with the Salem Witch Trials. (Nathaniel Hawthorne changed the spelling of his own name to avoid any association with this ancestor.)

4. Sheriff George Corwin’s home – George Corwin was the son of Judge Corwin (#2) and benefited by seizing the property of convicted and admitted witches.

5. The home of Samuel Shattuck, whose testimony helped convict Bridget Bishop, one of the first Witch Trial victims.

6. The home of Massachusetts Bay Colony’s Governor Simon Bradstreet (1603 – 1697).

7. John Higginson Jr. lived here. He was the local magistrate. The Hawthorne Hotel was later built on this property.

8. Jacob Manning, a blacksmith, forged the shackles worn by many Witch Trial victims.

9. Thomas Beadle’s tavern, where Witch Trial inquests were held.

A. The home of Bridget Bishop, a Witch Trial victim who may be among the ghosts at the Lyceum Restaurant, now on that site.

B. Ann Pudeator, a Witch Trial victim whose specter was seen walking along Salem Common, even before her execution.

C. The home of John and Mary English, one of the wealthiest families in Colonial Salem. They were accused but escaped to New York.

D. Alice Parker’s home, owned by John and Mary English. Ms. Parker was accused of witchcraft and put to death.

The slightly triangular area near 7 and B represents Salem Common.

Gallows Hill Park is indicated on the far left side of the map. The “Judges Line” — generally indicated in yellow — points directly to it.

Points 6, 7 and 8 also represent sites with paranormal activity, or they are scenes of violence in the 19th and 20th century, or both.

As I continued my research, I found more, similar sites in Salem.

Most of them were along the Judges Line.

That’s a little chilling, and I wonder why these people felt so drawn to this particular energy path.

I rarely use the word “destiny,” but it still comes to mind as I look at the Judges’ Line and how it represents so much tragedy.

If you’re in Salem on Halloween night, try a stroll along that line. Over 300 years later, ghostly energy along the Judges’ Line may be more intense than you’d expected.

The mystery may have been solved.

According to recent research, Gallows Hill Park in Salem, Massachusetts, isn’t where the accused “witches” were hanged. It seems that the real location might have been nearby Proctor’s Ledge.

I’ve been waiting for this announcement since October 2008.  Despite my ley line map that seems to point to Gallows Hill Park, I’ve suspected that the real 17th-century crimes took place a block or two away. (It was one of those “gut feelings” you’re likely to experience once you’ve been ghost-hunting for a while.)

Of course, I’m chagrined that my ley line map is no longer as straightforward and tidy as it had been, before this discovery. However, I’d rather have the truth… and a genuine history to work with, for future Salem investigations.

Meanwhile, the media describe Proctor’s Ledge as “at the back of a Walgreens.”

Technically, that’s true. However, the neighborhood is mostly residential, with a Walgreens store & pharmacy at the foot of the hill.

If you investigate around Proctor’s Ledge, remember that much of the surrounding area is private property.

In addition, I’m not sure you need to hike into the slightly wooded area to conduct ghost research. A quiet stroll around the neighborhood— not disturbing the residents— may provide the paranormal experience you’re looking for. (See my story, below.)

More news reports

• • Researchers confirm site of Salem’s hangings (Boston Globe)
  • Actual Site of Salem Witch Hangings Discovered (CBS Boston)
  • Researchers confirm site of hangings for Salem witch trials (Chicago Tribune)

My story

Since Halloween (Samhain) eve in 2008, I’ve been waiting for this announcement. That’s when psychic Gavin Cromwell — not related to me, as far as I know — and I wandered around the neighborhood between Salem’s Essex Street, Boston Street, and Gallows Hill Park. [Map link]

Earlier that afternoon, we’d filmed a TV segment at Salem’s “Witch House.” Then, we’d left the film crew to pack up their gear and probably find their way to one of Salem’s many wonderful cafes, pubs, and restaurants.

Instead of relaxing over a hearty meal, Gavin and I wanted to witness Salem’s annual Samhain celebration. The circle and ceremony at Gallows Hill Park are legendary. That evening, it was open to the public and—as usual—attracted a very large crowd.

With nothing else to do before the gathering, Gavin and I went for a walk.

In other words—and for the benefit of skeptics—we had no audience. It was just the two of us. There were no cameras. Gavin had no reason to invent stories to impress anyone; I already knew he was psychic.

On that late afternoon in October 2008, Gavin and I hiked up and down the residential streets near Gallows Hill Park. Gavin felt drawn to that neighborhood, not the more famous landmark just a block (or so) away.

I’d love to claim that I was the one who first suggested that the Proctor’s Ledge area was the real gallows site.

I didn’t.

In fact, Gavin not only announced it first, he seemed absolutely confident it was where some of the accused “witches” had been hung.

After that, we walked back and forth around the area he focused on. As usual, we bounced our psychic impressions off one another, fine-tuning the history we sensed.

By the time we noticed others arriving at the nearby park, both of us were convinced that some (not necessarily all) of the victims of the Salem Witch Trials had been executed at that location.

And then we went to the Samhain celebration.

(Note: We agreed that something else — something not very nice — had happened at Gallows Hill Park, not just in the 17th century, but later, as well. So, that park is worth investigating if you’re in the area.)

Proctor’s Ledge video

The following video was filmed in 2012 and posted on YouTube by thedevilshopyard. Hiking into the wooded area is a good way to see what the ledge actually looks like.

However, as you can see, the site is close to at least one busy street. So, especially if you’re hoping to investigate after dark, make sure you have permission. Neighbors and passing cars will notice flashlights, and call the police.

(If the site is open to the public and you explore that area, be prepared for poison ivy and very uneven ground.)