The Salem Witch Trials Memorial: Finding Humanity in Tragedy

In the summer of 1692, Puritan judges in Salem, MA condemned 20 people of witchcraft and publicly executed them. Now, 330 years later, visitors to this seaside city will find a simple, peaceful memorial erected in 1992 with 20 granite benches that jut from the walls, each bearing the name of a person unjustly accused and killed.

This article published in Folklife Magazine by Rachel Christ-Doan and Jill Christiansen from the Salem Witch Museum marks the 30th anniversary of the monument when perhaps it is more important than ever to remember the lessons of these injustices.