SALEM, Mass. — One of the oldest cemeteries in the country and the burial ground for several people connected to the 17th century Salem Witch Trials is closed to visitors this Halloween.

The local Cemetery Commission voted in early September to bar the public — including tour groups – from entering the Charter Street Burial Ground from late September through Sunday, Nov. 3.

Also known as the Burying Point, the cemetery established in 1637 is a focal point in the city, especially with the growth of the local Halloween season, which brings hundreds of thousands of revelers each year and has gradually caused irreversible wear on the historic site.

City leaders have been preparing a $600,000 preservation project that would build clearly visible walking paths and add lighting. The project was initially supposed to begin this fall but was delayed.

Still, officials proposed closing the cemetery to ensure guests don’t cause more damage to centuries-old gravestones and tombs. Individuals, as well as walking tours, are a constant sight in the burial ground throughout the year.

The closure has been a divisive issue. Some have called for the need to specifically keep families from picnicking on the tombs. Others have said closing the cemetery prevents the solemn contemplation that many have in mind when they visit Salem.

Rory “Raven” O’Brien, who runs tours under the branding Salem on Foot, said closed gates only keep out honest tourists.

“I tend to feel the people causing problems aren’t going to be kept out,” O’Brien said. “If you’re determined to get a spooky selfie lying on someone’s crypt, you’re just going to jump the wall to do it.”

Still, O’Brien acknowledges the problems caused by the tourism season.

“I absolutely agree that the cemetery gets overrun with people who aren’t respectful, but I feel that closing it off isn’t the best way to handle it,” he said. “That seems to me to be the laziest choice.”

Some objectors have also called attention to a state law that requires cemeteries “exempted from taxation” to be accessible during daylight hours.

But Kate Fox, executive director of Destination Salem, said this temporary closure is due to an “extraordinary circumstance” and noted the preservation work will immediately follow the Halloween season.

“Closing it just protects the cemetery until the work is done, and I think once the paths are delineated and the lighting is installed, it’ll be more clear how to use the cemetery,” she said.

Dustin Luca writes for The Salem News. Contact him at DLuca@salemnews.com or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.