Giles and Martha Corey at Crystal Lake

Once part of acreage owned by Giles and Martha Corey of Salem Farms (now Peabody), Crystal Lake filled with sediment over time. 

Neglected and overgrown, the property was revitalized through a multi-year project completed in November 2018. The city of Peabody dredged the lake, installed a large fountain, and added two docks, a gazebo, and picnic tables.

The finishing touches were returning the Giles and Martha Corey memorial stones to the park, along with new signage telling their stories. 

Though the location of their burials is unknown, the citizens of Peabody placed two granite markers at the site on September 22, 1992, to commemorate the Coreys and their deaths during the Salem witch trials 300 years before. Thanks to the Peabody Historical Society, the new sign between the two memorials gives details about the couple and the trials they faced. 

Outspoken to a Fault

Giles Corey did not agree to a trial by jury. For his defiance of the court, he “died under the torture of stone weights at age 81” on September 19, 1692. 

During her trial, Martha declared, “I am an innocent person. never had to do with witchcraft since I was born. I am a Gospel woman.” The Court of Oyer and Terminer, however, found her guilty of witchcraft. 

Martha Corey, aged 60, was hanged at Proctor’s Ledge on September 22, 1692. She died with seven other “firebrands of hell.” Their deaths marked the end of the executions.

Crystal Lake is off Lowell Street, near the Big Y Market (637 Lowell St.), in West Peabody, Massachusetts. A bikeway connects Crystal Lake to Peabody’s green spaces. Recreation includes fishing, paddleboats, and canoeing.