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Salem Witch Hangings Site Identified

By R. Siva Kumar | Update Date: Jan 16, 2016 06:09 PM EST

Researchers from the Salem State University have found the site of hanging of 19 innocents the 1692 witch trials. Called Proctor's Ledge, between Proctor and Pope streets in Salem, Mass, the site is called the spot of the Salem Witch Hangings.

"We are happy to be able to bring years of debate to an end," Emerson Baker, who headed the research, said in a press release. "Our analysis draws upon multiple lines of research to confirm the location of the executions."

Earlier, Gallows Hill was thought to be the location where the hangings happened, even as the strip of land was called "Witch Memorial Land" in 1936, although no particular evidence was found for it.

Yet, new research reveals that the rocky ledge near the base of the hill, near Boston Street, is probably the spot where the killings happened. With the research of historian Sidney Perley along with maps from different time periods and new technology, the researchers came to their conclusion.

"Ground-penetrating radar and high-tech aerial photography shed new light on the topography of the site as it is today and as it was in 1692," said Benjamin Ray, a member of the research. "As a result, we can now say with confidence that Proctor's Ledge is the site of the hangings."

Even though Proctor's Ledge was the spot where the infamous Salem witch murders was located, there were five other areas too in which witches died in prison. At one spot, a "witch" was crushed to death, said the Huffington Post.

"Salem, long known for a dark time in our past when people turned on each other, is now known as a community where people turn toward each other," said Kim Driscoll, mayor of Salem. "Having this site identified marks an important opportunity for Salem, as a city, to come together once again."

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