Old Burying Point Cemetery

Beautiful and memorable experience. I came to Salem for the history, not for gimmicky overpriced shopping and zombie tours. This cemetery is small, but worth the visit!

Love the history and spook factor behind this cemetery. It’s just a shame that it has been vandalised so much over time. One of the night tour guides of Salem said that they were going to improve security levels by this Halloween — fingers crossed!

A must do if you’re in Salem and you’re here to see sites related to the Witch Trials or Salem History. The Salem Witch Trials Memorial is located adjacent to this cemetery and as the lady working in the visitor center at the House of the Seven Gables put it: «the Witch Trials Memorial provides a place to lay the victims of the Witch Trials to rest since we don’t know where most of their bodies actually are.» Also, Judge John Hathorne is buried here who is arguably the most notorious of the Witch Trials judges. There is also a Mayflower passenger named Richard More buried here which shows how old this cemetery is considering that the Mayflower Pilgrims were some of the first Europeans to settle in North America.
In addition to very old and famous graves the tree known as the «Mother Tree» sits in this cemetery. The Mother Tree is a very old tree that is known to have witnessed the Witch Trials and many trees in Salem are descended from this tree. There is also a tree in the back of the cemetery that has been struck many times by lightning.
The great thing about this cemetery is that it has a bronze map at the entrance that shows where the famous graves are.
TIPS:
–If you enter off Charter Street the Mother Tree is the giant tree off to your right about halfway back into the cemetery.
–The famous lightning tree is in the back left of the cemetery when entering from Charter Street. You’ll know its the right tree by looking at the back of it. (The back of the tree is all shredded and gnarled from being hit by lightning so many times.)
–The famous Judge John Hathorne’s stone is marked as Colonel John Hathorne. His grandson is buried right next to him and has the same name so make sure you’re looking at the right stone.
–Salem Cemeteries close at dusk and apparently you can get prosecuted for entering after dark so don’t do it.

Steeped in history!
Beautiful, historic cemetery with headstones dating back to at least the seventeenth century. Scores of well-​known «Salemites» are buried here. Most of the really old headstones are very unusual and many are still in reasonably good condition, with the names still visible.
Here’s a little piece of trivia for you– many of author Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ancestors are buried here, although he was apparently quite ashamed of some of them because of their participation in the infamous Salem Witch Trials!
Do not forget to take a lot of pics! A definite must-​see stop on anyone’s trip to Salem! I knew my vacation to Salem wouldn’t have been complete without a quick stop here.

It was really cool getting to visit this cemetery for the historic value alone. The tombstones are original from the 1600’s. If you are interested in the history of the witch trials, you will find that some of the people involved are buried right there. It is easy to access and not very big at all, so it is easy to walk around and explore all the old headstones.
Over in the Wax museum and gift shop they have a place you can do a tombstone rubbing, (they provide the paper) so you don’t do it on the ones that are in the cemetery, possibly damaging them.
If you take one of the many walking tours offered in Salem, pick one that goes through here, they will tell you the history and back stories that goes with it, when you standing there while they explain it, it makes more sense than if you read it. Trust me. The guides really make things come alive when they tell the stories, well, that might not be a good thing when inside the cemetery.

This is a beautiful place. You should visit.
There’s a tremendous amount of history here, way more than what I could suss out twelve or so years ago, during my first visit, or two weeks ago, on my second.
In the years between visits one and two, anytime anyone mentioned Salem, I thought immediately of Old Burying Point Cemetery. On my first visit, it was grey and cloudy out, and I remember walking through the quiet cemetery in early fall at mid-​day, marveling at the lives remembered from years past with painstakingly hand carved headstones.
If your visit to Salem centers around a live stage show about witches, or a wax museum, you may feel underwhelmed by this place… but if you like real history, if you’re fascinated by how people used to live, if you sometimes feel like the dead are with us always, you’ll love Old Burying Point.

well maintained cemetery that is very beautiful. I’m amazed some of the grave stones are still able to be clearly read.

Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely LOVE anything supernatural (but, I’m also a complete scaredy cat) so, once I booked my Boston ticket; I really wanted to go to Salem.
And thankfully, Salem is the most «festive» during October!
After walking around a bit and following various «must-​see» attractions on a map, we came across the Burying Point.
This is the oldest cemetary in Salem and the 2^nd oldest in the country. How’s the history on that!
Completely creepy and UBER beautiful at sunset! Highly recommend coming here as the those killed during the Salem witch trials are buried near by.

freakin’ old and cool. tourists roaming around. easy to find in the heart of Salem. everything is within walking distance from here. Cemetery is almost 400 years old, and all the headstones are ornate (the ones still readable). worth a visit!

Very old cemetery. Lots of interesting things to read. I remembered to be respectful and hope others do the same.

This is right next to the Witch Trials Memorial. It is a beautiful older cemetery. I like that in the beginning it shows you where some of the important graves are, but I would like to see maybe a marker next to the graves to actually show where the important graves are. With the headstones being slightly worn from so many years it is hard to tell which one you are trying to find. But it is a beautiful spot, quiet an serene. Lovely!

Recently I had a friend ask me if money/​pay didn’t matter and I could do or be anything, what would I choose? The answer is simple: Carnival Dancer by day, mortician by night!
Morbid to some but I can’t help it, I’m so intrigued by death! On a recent work trip to Salem, I thought it was cool that we were staying near this graveyard. I like to walk through cities when I travel and «feel» the history. This cemetery is the oldest burying cemetery in Salem. Here lies a Mayflower pilgrim (the Mayflower people!) and an ancestor of Nathaniel Hawthorne… among others. Some of the tombstones are so old you can barely make out the inscription. When you can make any out, it’s kinda neat to see some dates as far back as the 16 or 1700s.
I wouldn’t come here for a family picnic or if you’re planning to propose to your boo, but it makes for a different little historical stroll while in Salem.

A bit of history first.
The Burying Point is the oldest cemetery in Salem. It was established in 1637. It is the 2^nd oldest in America. There are many old, interesting gravestones with unique carvings. One of the most famous people buried in the cemetery is Justice John Hathorne, the great-​great grandfather of writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. John Hathorne was a judge during the witch trials, and he had a bad reputation. Nathaniel Hawthorne was so ashamed of his ancestor’s role in the trials that he added a «w» in his name to make it different.
This cemetery is 373 years old. The tombstones are really old. Some of them you can barely read. Some of the tombstones are being restored. I actually like the old crumbling ones. I feel there is more of a story there. I found out a while ago that I am a coimetrophiliac, That is someone who like to visit cemeteries to see the various tombstones, etc. Who knew there was a word for it. I just thought I was weird that way. And as far as cemeteries go, this one is worth the visit.