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A Piece of History Amid Busy Halloween Season
- The Salem News (October 10, 2005)
- By Bruno Matarazzo, Jr., Correspondent
SALEM – The protruding stone closest to the brick walkway at the Witch Trials Memorial honors Samuel Wardwell, who was hanged on Sept. 22, 1692.
For Sean and Mary Getz of Mechanicsville, MD, that spot was the perfect place to sit down for a bit and relax of a Friday while sharing a chocolate chip cookie. "It's a nice, peaceful place," said Mary Getz.
The memorial, symbolizing the city's role in the Salem Witch Trials, stands in a shaded spot next to the old cemetery, tucked away from all the Halloween-themed stores and street vendors.
Friday, the day after the city kicked off its annual Haunted Happenings celebration, some passers-by used the shady spot as a respite between tourist attractions, while others visited the memorial to reflect on the somber side of Salem's history.
These reflections occurred to Doug Prehodka and Mischelle Cochran of Roswell, GA, who were here for the long weekend.
"It's a shame," Prehodka said. "These people—are not able to be buried with townsfolk."
Prehodka felt a bit unsettled when he first arrived in the city and saw how centered the city is on a time in history when 20 people were killed after they were wrongly accused of being witches.
"It's a little weird. The whole town's future commercial endeavors are based on these poor (people)," he said.
Others said the city's witch trial history is what makes present-day Salem exciting.
"There is no other place in the world like this. It adds to the fascination of Salem," said Cockran. She has wanted to come to Salem since she read Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" in high school.
Laurie Van DeWerfhorst, a researcher from California, was in town for the Harry Potter symposium. She didn't realize until sitting on Alice Parker's stone for a few minutes that Parker was hung Sept. 22, 1962. Van DeWerfhorst called the place "very relaxing."
Ken and Nancy Amore of Bethlehem, PA, first saw the memorial while looking at the old tombstones at the cemetery.
"It's a wonderful tribute to these people. It got me very emotional, especially the one pressed to death. I wasn't aware of that," Nancy Amore said. "It's amazing, simply amazing."
Holly Lear and her friend Mary Sutton both of Hershey, PA, and employees at Verizon, came to Salem for the weekend with Sutton's daughter, Brandy.
The three walked past the memorial and each snapped a picture for their scrapbooks.
"I feel bad that people died for somebody else's ignorance," Lear said.
"They died for ignorance, and now they're famous for it," Mary Sutton added.
Reprinted with permission from The Salem News.