Witch Gaol Plaque #1

Salem, Massachusetts

The jail where many of Salem's accused witches were imprisoned in 1692 was repurposed several times over the centuries, then torn down for an office building in 1956-1957. A plaque was bolted to an outside wall of the new structure, describing the jail's importance and noting that one of the accused witches "was pressed to death on these grounds" (It fails to note that in the 1930s the jail was also Salem's first witch tourist attraction).

By the late 1950s, however, witch-justice was no longer particularly popular, and the new building owner wanted nothing to do with witches. So the plaque was moved two blocks south and bolted to a wholly unrelated wall, where it remains today. A pillory has since been added as an outdoor photo-op, because nowadays Salem's lurid late 17th century is again drawing a crowd.