Overview
Dating to the seventeenth century, Howard Street Cemetery sits adjacent to the Salem Witch Trials Memorial and the site of the old Salem jail, where accused witches were held before their trials. Giles Corey, an eighty-year-old man pressed to death by heavy stones when he refused to enter a plea in the 1692 trials, is buried here, and local legend holds that his ghost appears before major disasters. The cemetery and its neighbor, Charter Street Cemetery, form the oldest preserved burial ground in Salem.
Attributed paranormal accounts
These are reported experiences and local accounts, not independently verified events.
Visitors report seeing shadowy figures, hearing unexplained footsteps and feeling sudden cold spots, while local legend claims Giles Corey's ghost appears before major disasters.
History & background
Howard Street Cemetery dates to 1801 and stands beside the site of the old Salem jail. It is closely associated with Giles Corey, who was pressed to death nearby during the 1692 Salem witch trials and is believed to be buried in an unmarked grave in or near the cemetery.