Charter Street Cemetery Welcome Center

I'm a Salem resident and I am on a mission to tour all the local attractions AND historical sites. About this one: The Charter Street Cemetery Welcome Center is actually a very interesting example of a First-Period house, built in 1672 for mariner Samuel Pickman and only recently transformed into the Welcome Center of the adjacent graveyard. It was beautifully restored over the years and, for the architecture buffs, its structure is rich in details (windows, exposed beams, corbels etc). When you get inside - entrance is from the back, not on the street - you can visit two rooms on the first floor, one is their gift shop and the other is a small exhibition about both the house and the cemetery. Even though this makes a very quick visit (5/10 minutes), it's worth the visit since it's conveniently located downtown, it's free and it provides information about the cemetery. Also, the gift shop is small but you might find things here you can't find elsewhere. They occasionally organize/host free lectures - I attended one on Puritan funeral habits and another on colonial medicinal herbs, both very enjoyable and informative. PROs You get the chance to see the well preserved inside of one of the only two 1600s houses in Salem which are open to the public for free (the others require tickets - the other free to the public from the 1600s is only occasionally open and not restored). It's free and picture-worthy! CONs No real cons here, but be aware that during tourist season, especially in October, the entire area of the cemetery, memorial etc gets VERY, VERY busy. Entrance to the welcome center might be limited or might require a reservation (check their website). On a normal day, like today, no lines, no waiting, no issues at all.
Mar 25th, 2024

We went here today and toured the cemetery. We walked just past the witch trials memorial. The person at the gate was very helpfull. Some of the people buried were involved in the trials. I saw graves from the 1680s. Only one person who was hanged for being a witch is buried here and then o ly many years after her death I also posted a few photos of the spot where they were hung.
Sep 2nd, 2023

Informative!
Jun 16th, 2023

May 10th, 2023

A place of healing energy.
Mar 13th, 2023