Place where 19 Salem witch trial hangings happened located

The location where in 1682 19 people were hung in Salem, Massachusetts on accusations of witchcraft has been located by researchers.

The Salem witch trials were a “wave of hysteria” in which the small town of Salem was overtaken with panic and accusations of witchcraft.

The plot of land, known as Proctor’s Ledge, was reportedly discovered by researchers using a combination of old written firsthand accounts and modern technology.

“Once researchers established the vantage points for the eyewitness accounts, they turned to the mapping technology and aerial photography,” The Boston Globe explained. “They learned the eyewitnesses could not have seen the top of Gallows Hill from where they observed the executions, but they could see Proctor’s Ledge, located in between what is now Proctor and Pope streets.”

Now that the location of the hangings has been found a modest memorial for those who died is planned.

Matt Lee is a Web producer for Metro New York. He writes about almost everything and anything. Talk to him (or yell at him) on Twitter so he doesn’t feel lonely@mattlee2669.