Proctor's Ledge Memorial

Massachusetts · United States · Execution site

Nineteen innocent people were executed here in 1692. George Burroughs recited the Lord's Prayer flawlessly at the gallows — thought impossible for the accused.

In 2016 researchers confirmed what the town had only guessed at: the 1692 executions did not take place on the summit of Gallows Hill but down here at Proctor's Ledge, a rocky shelf at the edge of a residential street. The memorial was dedicated in 2017 — a semicircle of granite carrying the nineteen names, with the words We Remember set into the ground. The strongest story from this place is not a ghost but a moment: on 19 August 1692 the minister George Burroughs stood at the gallows and recited the Lord's Prayer without a single stumble, something believed impossible for anyone in league with the devil. The crowd wavered, but the execution went ahead. Visitors leave flowers here. It is a memorial, not an attraction.

FAQ

Where is Proctor's Ledge Memorial located?

Proctor's Ledge Memorial is in Massachusetts, United States.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.