Howard Street Cemetery

Howard Street Cemetery is a historic burying ground in Salem, Massachusetts, established in 1801 on land beside the old Salem jail. Spanning around two and a half acres and holding roughly a thousand headstones, it is one of the city's older cemeteries and contains the graves of mariners, tradespeople and Revolutionary War veterans, reflecting Salem's maritime and civic history in the early 19th century.

Although the cemetery postdates the 1692 witch trials, it is strongly tied in local tradition to Giles Corey, the elderly man pressed to death nearby during the trials for refusing to enter a plea. Legend holds that Corey cursed the sheriff and the town, and visitors sometimes report a heavy atmosphere or a spectral figure said to appear before misfortune. These are folklore and anecdote rather than documented events, and Corey's death predates the cemetery itself.

The site's real value lies in its genuine gravestones and the social history they record, and in its connection to the sober memory of the witch-trial era. It rewards quiet, respectful visits as a place of history and remembrance.

Howard Street Cemetery is a public historic cemetery owned by the City of Salem and overseen by its Cemetery Commission. It is generally open to the public daily from dawn until dusk, without an admission charge, and is a stop on many walking routes through Salem, especially during the busy autumn season.

As an active burial ground and heritage site, visitors are asked to be respectful: keep to paths where possible, do not lean on, rub or damage the fragile old headstones, and follow any posted rules, particularly around the crowded Halloween period.