Editing Salem, Massachusetts (section)

===Witch-related tourism===

In recent years, tourism has been an occasional source of debate in the city, with some residents arguing the city should downplay witch tourism and market itself as a more upscale cultural center. In 2005, the conflict came to a head over plans by the cable television network [[TV Land]] to erect a bronze statue of [[Elizabeth Montgomery]], who played the comic witch "Samantha" in the 1960s series ''[[Bewitched]]''.<ref name=Bewitched>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4632488 |title=Salem Residents Oppose Planned 'Bewitched' Statue |first=Anthony |last=Brooks |newspaper=NPR.org |date=May 5, 2005 |publisher=National Public Radio |access-date=April 28, 2011}}</ref> A few special episodes of the series were actually filmed in Salem, and TV Land said that the statue commemorated the 35th anniversary of those episodes. The statue was sculpted by [[StudioEIS]] under the direction of brothers Elliott and Ivan Schwartz. Many felt the statue was good fun and appropriate to a city that promotes itself as "The Witch City", and contains a street named "Witch Way". Others objected to the use of public property for what was transparently commercial promotion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Controversial'Bewitched'statue besmirched by red paint |first=Bruno Jr. |last=Matarazzo |url=http://www.salemnews.com/local/x1150790323/ControversialBewitchedstatue-besmirched-by-red-paint |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909153100/http://www.salemnews.com/local/x1150790323/ControversialBewitchedstatue-besmirched-by-red-paint  |archive-date=September 9, 2012 |newspaper=[[The Salem News]] |publisher=[[Community Newspaper Holdings]], Inc. |date=July 20, 2006 |access-date=April 28, 2011 }}</ref>

There is also a memorial to the victims of the infamous Witch Trials at Proctor's Ledge, the execution site from that time. The memorial is "meant to be a place of reflection" for the city.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shea |first1=Andrea |date=19 July 2017 |title=Salem, Mass., Dedicates Memorial To Witches Who Died On The Gallows |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/07/19/538148832/salem-mass-dedicates-memorial-to-witches-who-died-on-the-gallows |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20170719230656/https://www.npr.org/2017/07/19/538148832/salem-mass-dedicates-memorial-to-witches-who-died-on-the-gallows |archive-date=19 July 2017 |access-date=26 February 2024 |publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref>