Salem tourist information
It was the largest earthquake in the history of the new American republic that brought the first settlers to Salem. The New Madrid (Missouri) quake of 1811 - the quake that caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards and church bells to ring as far away as Boston - sent Capt. Samuel Young searching for a more hospitable home. Finding abundant game and tranquillity when he reached present-day Salem, he made camp on what is now the courthouse square.
In the 1820's, a severe drought hit northern and central Illinois, which contributed to the wagon loads of people traveling to southern Illinois to obtain food and grain for themselves and their livestock. As this was compared to the Biblical story of Israel going to Egypt to purchase grain, southern Illinois become known as "Egypt" and also "Little Egypt." Salem became the "Gateway of Little Egypt."
Salem was founded in 1823 as the County Seat of the newly formed Marion County. It is situated halfway between the Indiana and Missouri borders on what was originally the Vincennes-St.Louis Road, now U.S. Highway 50 (which goes from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco). Thus, Salem evolved into a stagecoach stop on the Vincennes Trail. Salem snoozed while the western migration of land-hungry settlers passed though its gates. Although most of the conestogas rolled through Salem, enough stopped to deposit their cargoes that Salem was eventually incorporated as a village in 1855. There is a legend of gold associated with one particular stagecoach stop.
William Jennings Bryan, Salem's Favorite Son, was born here on March 19, 1860. His boyhood home has been preserved and has been turned into a museum, opened to the public and filled with memorabilia of Bryan, his politics and the turn-of-the-century era in which he lived. The home is located on South Broadway, next door to the building that once housed the Bryan Bennett Library which he helped found.
Bryan spent the first years of his life living in Salem. He attended Salem public school and at the age of 14 became a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church which is now named First United Presbyterian Church. Inside the church, located at the corner of McMackin and Washington Streets near downtown Salem, is a pulpit with a carved scene of the burning bush as noted in the Bible's Book of Exodus. The pulpit was a gift to the church from Bryan during his later years.
Initially, Bryan's ambition was to become a minister; however, he eventually decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a lawyer. He left Salem to study law at the age of 15 and never lived here permanently again. Nevertheless, the "great commoner" often visited his home town during his career as an attorney, newspaper editor and politician.
Bryan was known as a populist and as a champion of free coinage of silver during his political career. That career blossomed in 1896 with the delivery of the "Cross of Gold" speech which drew greater ovation than had been given any other speaker at that gathering. Even those defending the gold standard applauded Bryan.
Before going to that convention Bryan had visited in Salem. He reportedly told a friend while here that he felt that he could receive the party's nomination if he could obtain the opportunity to speak to the delegates. Bryan's prediction was most accurate.
But historians note that the Chicago speech probably was the high point of Bryan's political career. Although he won the presidential nomination that year, again in 1900 and a third time in 1908, Bryan never succeeded in winning the White House. He became Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson, holding that post until 1915 when he resigned, citing a disagreement with the president over the country's policy toward Germany.
After leaving Salem, Bryan lived for a time in Jacksonville, Illinois, then moved to Nebraska, entering politics and becoming editor-in-chief of the Omaha World newspaper. His final years were spent in Miami Beach, Florida.
Bryan participated as a prosecutor in the famous 1925 Scope's "Monkey Trial," in which a young biology teacher, John Thomas Scopes (also from Salem), was indicted for teaching evolution in the Dayton, Tennessee, High School.
A bronze likeness of Bryan was created by Gutzon Borglum, of Mt. Rushmore fame, in 1934 and it stood briefly in Washington, D.C. Later it was obtained by Salem and re-erected in Bryan Memorial Park where it now stands on the east side of Route 37 North.
The City of Salem was transformed in the 1930's from a quiet-paced small town doing its best to recover from the Depression to a city hit with another severe jolt in its economy - known as "the oil boom."
This time the economy move spiraled upward although the city was at first paralyzed with hundreds of people who moved into the area overnight with need of immediate housing, food and everyday essentials.
Restaurant owners experienced a boom of their own when long lines of people appeared at dawn waiting to be fed. The condition continued through the days and weeks which followed. Every available room in town was filled to capacity and residents began opening their homes to those without shelter. Other newcomers not fortunate enough to find places were forced to resort to empty sheds, chicken houses, makeshift tents and "lean-tos" until something more adequate became available. Demands of the new population created power shortages and lack of adequate hospital and medical services. The oil rush to the Salem area was likened by many to the gold rush of California.
When the initial shock of the boom subsided , however, Salem oil industries and land owners had become a part of the business which was noted for having the second highest amount of oil production in any one area. In 1939, 93 million barrels of oil were pumped from Marion County's farmland. At the time producers were selling oil for fifty cents a barrel.
Gordon Kemp was one of those drawn to Salem. He was transferred with the Redford Construction Company in October of 1938 at the age of 21. A single man, he and several other men from Lions, Kansas, moved with the company because of new wages offered of $5.50 per day. The new rate was 50 cents more than the $5 daily wages paid in Kansas.
The single men were transferred first, then the married men, although there was no room for their families. The Redford men's first job was to build the General Machine and Tool Shed to house equipment to be used by the company. The tools were used to erect the pumping units and anchors after the oil wells had been drilled.
Kemp recalls their busy workload and says he and the men worked through the worst of weather conditions including hazards created by the weather - namely mud. "It as the worst mud I have ever seen," Kemp says. Teams of horses and wagons were required to haul tools and equipment into fields. Mud was up to four feet deep in some fields and roads were almost non-existent. Corduroy roads were installed by logs being laid side by side in several areas for use by vehicles but few men would risk driving to work because the tires could easily slide off the logs and the car be swallowed by the mud.
Retired Salem farmer, Troy Featherling, agreed with Kemps' description of the mud. During the winter in the late 1930's the mud was so bad that Young's School (now Selmaville South) had to be closed. Featherling added, "The mud could bury a Catepillar (tractor)."
Featherling, who has lived in the Salem area all of his life, said that before the oil boom, "we were like everyone else. We were farmers about to starve. It was lucky if we had enough money to pay taxes." Like other farmers in the area Featherling turned from farming to oil during the boom days. He recalled that the change agitated some of the oil field workers from Oklahoma and Texas because they thought the farmers were taking "their" jobs. Featherling recalled that the newcomers would call the Illinois farmers "punkin eaters."
Featherling worked eight hours a day, five days a week. When asked how he spent his weekends, his reply was, "If someone was lucky enough to have a job that allowed two days off, he would rest." He added that weekends were not considered a time to "kick up your heels and have a good time."
Some of the new oil industrialists moving into the area were said to have had an attitude that emphasized "mind your own business." Oil companies tried to keep a lid on information concerning prospective "gushers" if they had not leased all the other land in a producing oil well's vicinity. There was always the possibility of another company finding more oil in the same area. The competition was fierce. Because of this competition some of the farmers became wealthy overnight.
The only ones to celebrate big in the area were some of the farmers who were becoming rich from leasing land to the oil companies. Featherling recalled one young farmer who was so excited after receiving his royalty money that he accidentally drove his car into a pond. "The next day he took some of the money and bought himself a new car," Featherling said, and remembered the man bought three new Buicks by the end of that year.
Featherling talked of another farmer who became "right over-night," and who considered to be the richest farmer in the oil business. The farmer was on his way to Champaign to receive $15 an acre for leasing his land to an oil company when he was asked to go fishing with an elderly neighbor. Ten days later the oil companies started paying $30 an acre. "I remember the farmer telling me how he wished he would have stayed home and gone fishing with 'that old man,'" Featherling said.
Fred Wagoner moved with the Texas Oil Company near the end of the boom days,. Wagoner began his oil career in 1922 in Bristow, Oklahoma, as a roustabout or general worker laying pipelines. He was transferred to Woodlawn, Illinois, to be in charge of production in 1941. In September of 1942, at the age of 45, he moved to Salem and was promoted to oil field foreman. Wagoner worked seven days as week and was on call 24 hours a day. "It wasn't work eight hours and take off like they do now," Wagoner added.
Salem for Visitors
Salem Marion County Court House
Located on town square the present courthouse is the second courthouse at this location. The widely known political phrase, "Tip-a-canoe-and-Tyler-too," was coined on this location by Abraham Lincoln, who was campaigning for the Whig candidates William Henry Harrison and John Tyler. A Civil War cannon, serial #13, which was used in the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, is located within the court house. A mural of the life of William Jennings Bryan while in Salem, painted by local renowned artist June Goldsborough, is also in the courthouse. She is known for her illustrations of children's books. The Court House is open to the public 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday - Friday.
Salem City Hall
Built in 1906 as the Salem National Bank, this building has served the City of Salem as city hall since 1964. The third floor originally served as the Masonic Hall. They City Hall is open to the public 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday.
Salem Fire Bells
Two old fire bells are on display in front of the Salem Fire Station. The north bell was in service calling firemen or police from 1892 to 1957.
Salem Birthplace of William Jennings Bryan
"Billy," as his friends knew him was born at 408 South Broadway in 1860. William Jennings Bryan was the son of Judge Silas M. and Maria E. (Jennings) Bryan. Silas was a teacher, lawyer, school superintendent, state senator and circuit court judge. As a devout Baptist, he would pray to God for assistance before he made a decision. This building is on the National Register of Historical Places. It is open to the public daily from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., but closed Thursdays and holidays
Salem Statue of William Jennings Bryan
The Statue of William Jennings Bryan was created by Gutzon Borglum, famed sculptor of Mt. Rushmore. It originally stood in Washington, D.C., dedicated there by President Theodore Roosevelt May 3, 1934. In 1961, it was moved to its present location across from Bryan Memorial Park on North Broadway.
Salem Bryan Memorial Park
This park was originally called Hull's Grove. The location of the Marion County Soldier's and Sailors Reunion for over 100 years. Merritt Drive was named for Major General Wesley B. Merritt, a Salemite who served with Custer and Sheridan and rose to command the Armies of the U.S. (
by Rockford Convention & Visitors Bureau
Salem is an historic seaside community located approximately 16 miles north of Boston.
From its days as one of the earliest landing sites of the English colonists, to its rise as the first major port in the United States, to its trailblazing efforts in opening up the East Indian trade, to its heyday as a thriving hub of American commerce and the home of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Salem's historical legacy is rich. Unfortunately, a well-known blemish on that legacy involved the infamous Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692.
Nonetheless, the city's golden years have left her modern inhabitants with architectural treasures, fine museums, and a sparkling literary heritage. Equally important, the development of Salem has produced a rich ethnic history, to which people of all races, creeds, colors and origins have contributed over the generations. Even today, Salem services children speaking no less than 20 different languages in its public school system. Long a trading, manufacturing and retail center, Salem has been making a slow, and sometimes painful, transition to a service-based economy. The city today serves as the home of Salem State College, the North Shore Medical Center, the Essex County District Superior and Probate Courts, and Registry of Deeds, the world-famous Peabody and Essex Museum, and a host of banks and other financial institutions. It is the educational, medical, legal, cultural and banking hub of the North Shore.
It is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by Swampscott and Lynn on the south, Peabody on the west, Beverly on the north, and Marblehead on the east. Salem is located on Salem Bay 16 miles north of Boston; 20 miles southeast of Lawrence; 90 miles south of Portland, Maine; and 236 miles from New York City.
Salem Missouri was described in Vogue magazine as "one of the timeless towns in the Ozarks," Salem has become a modern community of industry, fine stores, services and shopping centers that serve a rich farming area. Though a favorite resort spot in the awe-inspiring Ozarks, Salem is also an outstanding "family" community, with schools and churches comparable to a city twice its size. The charm of the past has blended with a progressive attitude, making Salem a wonderful place to live, work and play.
South central Missouri is where you can find Salem, which happens to be about center of the nation. Salem is in the Heart of the beautiful Missouri Ozarks, in some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.
The Salem Town Seal, with its motto, "Industry, Commerce, Recreation," serves as a perfect backdrop for the community's unique assets - location, accessibility, unspoiled natural resources and a pro-business attitude. It's a combination that will serve as a guide to prosperity well into the new century.
Salem mixes small town, rural living with the advantages offered by a city. Add to that being located in "the most livable" state in the country, one of the most favorable business climates anywhere, easy access to Boston (not to mention the entire Northeast and Canada) and an educated, highly motivated and dedicated workforce and you have the ideal place to live, work and raise a family.
The "Gateway to New Hampshire," Salem is a town of 28,000 located in the southeastern part of the state, in Rockingham County. Just over the Massachusetts border, Salem sits conveniently on Interstate 93, midway between Boston and Concord, NH; making it 32 miles from the culture and excitement of the big city, yet less than an hour drive from the beauty and tranquility of New Hampshire's White Mountains, Lakes Region and Atlantic seacoast.
The town's municipal services are second to none - a modern water and sewer system, highly skilled police, fire and ambulance personnel and a town government managed by trained, professional officials. Salem's award-winning public school system, which includes a new vocational school, serves more than 5,200 students, who along with all town residents have access to one of the finest local libraries in New England.
Despite several concentrated areas of industrial and retail development, a turn down any side street immediately transports you from the urban environment to the residential or rural. These areas offer housing options from apartments to high-end custom built houses, with the majority being middle-income single-family homes. Thanks to the town's large industrial base, property taxes are among the lowest in southern New Hampshire.
Three major hospitals service the Salem area - Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, MA, Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, MA and Parkland Medical Center in Derry, NH. All provide excellent medical care as well as emergency services.
Should you wish, Boston's renowned medical community is but a short distance away Salem also boast numerous local doctors and a number of walk-in clinics, plus Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital, which provides physical rehabilitation therapy.
Bolstered by a large and active Chamber of Commerce that works diligently year-round to promote the interests of the town's merchants, retail thrives here.
Tax-free shopping just over the border in Salem is a major attraction for those who live in Massachusetts. According to the 1987 Census of Retail Trade, Salem's retail sector contributed over half a billion dollars in total sales to the local economy, as well as employing almost 5,000 people.
Undoubtedly the highlight of Salem's retail community is New England Development's Mall at Rockingham Park. Featuring 135 stores, including Filene's, J. C. Penney, Sears and Macy's, it complements other major retail business along Route 28, such as BJ's Warehouse, Home Depot, Circuit City and the Rockingham Mall (with Christmas Tree Store, Shaw's Supermarket, Bob's Furniture and other stores).
Four full-service super-markets provide for Salem's in-home food consumption, while virtually every fast food franchise and a host of specialty restaurants are available for those wishing to dine out.
In short, there is no need to leave Salem for any of your shopping needs.
Salem is nestled in the beautiful rolling hills of Northeastern Ohio and is centrally located about 65 miles from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
This interesting town retains much of its original character even while new and unique shops, restaurants and galleries fill its beautifully restored historic buildings.
Founded and settled by the Friends (a.k.a. "Quakers") religious group in 1806, the city was active in the early anti-slavery movement of the early-to-mid 1800's. Still standing are many of the beautiful homes connecting the famous Underground Railroad with their hidden rooms and secret passageways.
Another fact that Salem's residents are justly proud of is that their town was the site of the very first Women's Rights Convention held in the State of Ohio, Salem's overall active involvement in equal rights issues is a tribute to its rich Quaker heritage.
Salem offers the best of many worlds - including a variety of activities ranging from visiting Salem's Historical Society Museum and the Butler Institute of American Art/Salem Branch to evening enjoyment provided by the Salem Community Theatre, Fine Dining paired with Cabaret/Big Band sounds, and a wide variety of Pub-style entertainment.
When it comes to dining out, Salem affords many choices ranging from fast foods and pizza carry outs to elegant coffee shops, pubs, sports and country style taverns, family-style eateries and formal, upscale fine dining.
by Salem Ohio
Salem Oregon
Salem, the capital city of Oregon, is strategically located midway between Portland and Eugene on Interstate 5 (I-5) in the middle of the fertile Willamette Valley, a 100 mile long lowland between the Cascade Mountains and the Lower Coast Range. Salem resides in both Marion and Polk Counties.
Because of its proximity to Portland, its outstanding outdoor recreation, and the addition of high technology industries, Salem is in the midst of sustained, steady growth. Many who live in the Salem area do so because of its family-friendly ambiance and easy commute to the Portland metropolitan area. Salem was selected an All-America City several times by the Citizen's Forum of Self-Government/National Municipal League.
The Willamette River, one of the few that flows from south to north, winds through the Salem area forming the boundary between Marion and Polk counties. With mountains and the majestic Oregon coastline to the west, mountains and lakes to the east, an abundance of rivers surrounding it and the state's largest city an hour to the north, Salem offers something for everyone.
Ongoing preservation of the historic downtown buildings, along with a downtown core master plan for residential and commercial development, ensures managed growth. Salem takes great pride in its citizen involvement. Most redevelopment projects are supported by countless volunteers who cooperate with and complement city staff. Volunteers help create neighborhood parks, promote crime watch programs, staff libraries, and support a variety of other projects.
Known as "Summer Spring" by the Indians, and "Pond Town" by early settlers, Salem, in Utah County, was finally named after the birthplace of Lyman Curtis to honor his contributions to the community.
The Indians appreciated the fact that the local springs bubbled up through sandy soil in a tree-shaded hollow, even in summer. In the spring of 1851 David Fairbanks and David Crockett discovered this same precious asset. Fairbanks had been assigned to Peteetneet Creek (Payson), where he was to become LDS bishop of the town. The two men continued to explore the area and found a large, clear stream flowing through a hollow. They realized that by damning the stream they could conserve the water that flowed out into swamplands. They soon moved their families and built the first dam, assisted by others from Payson who needed additional farmland. Some crops were harvested that year.
Winter and the threat of hostile Indians caused the families to return to Peteetneet, but "Pond Town" had a beginning with the dammed springs. In 1852 the two founders built a second and more secure dam, but by the next year the families had moved to Peteetneet and the new settlement was abandoned.
Settlers from nearby Palmyra, fighting drought and alkali salts in the soil, decided to start over at the abandoned Pond Town. George Wilson and his brothers purchased the Fairbanks-Crockett interest and they, along with eight other families, moved to the area in 1856. During that same year, Lyman Curtis, one of the original company of pioneers to enter Salt Lake Valley, joined in the new development with four of his sons.
In the next few years two more dams and an irrigation system were developed. Homes were built adjoining one another for protection against Indian attacks. The homes were constructed of adobe brick and lumber from nearby canyons. The fort homes were used until 1870 when the Indian danger had been reduced. Settlers began moving into the town, which was laid out in five-acre blocks. As was common throughout Utah, homes and barns were built inside the town, with fields and grazing area outside. Boys herded cattle on "common grounds."
The completion of the Salem Canal in 1869 brought irrigation water from the Spanish Fork River to Salem. Lyman Curtis, who had experience with irrigation in Santa Clara, directed the project to completion. The canal was eight miles long and took two and one-half years to build. Additional water was brought to the area by the Strawberry Valley Irrigation Project, completed in 1916.
Popular crops were wheat and other grains, as well as tomatoes and peas for the Del Monte food-processing plant, located between Salem and Spanish Fork. Beginning in 1891, sugar beets were grown extensively for the factories throughout Utah Valley. A "beet vacation" allowed boys out of school to assist in harvesting. Many farmers specialized in growing garden produce or in raising poultry. Local ranchers had grazing rights and permits in the nearby national forests, in Strawberry Valley, and in privately owned property in Loafer Canyon.
In the nineteenth century blacksmithing was a much needed service, and there also were immigrants skilled in masonry, milling, and cobblery. Sawmills and shingle mills, molasses producing factories, creameries, and confectioneries have supported families and provided for community needs.
The LDS Church started a co-op in Salem in the late 1860s; it operated largely on the barter system until it was discontinued in 1897. Several small stores were operated for short periods of time. In 1908 the Salem Mercantile Company was started by the James Peter Christensen family, which operated it until 1969. For many years the "Merc" used the barter system and issued scrip. In 1946 Melvin R. Hanks started another grocery business on Main Street. Later continued by two sons, this family business also thrived. There were a number of service stations along U.S. Highway 91, and a motel. Through the years the town also had a drugstore, barber shop, and a saloon. A few businesses are still clustered along the highway.
The LDS Provo Stake served Pond Town's religious needs until Salem Ward was created in 1877. A red brick church was completed in 1898, remodeled in 1938, and replaced in 1972. The one ward was divided in 1956, and currently there are two local LDS stakes.
Education was always important to the settlers, and parents made arrangements for their children to be taught, first in homes and then in a log schoolroom. Several small buildings were used for school, church, and public meetings until the church meetinghouse was built in 1898; it was followed by a new brick school built in 1907.
The "Dream Mine" of John Hyrum Koyle, as well as the pond, became synonymous with Salem. Koyle dreamed of a rich ore mine on the hillside and set out to bring his dream to fruition. Selling shares in the venture, Koyle was able to have a deep shaft dug, but ore was never found.
Salem was incorporated as a town in 1886, and fourteen presidents and boards of trustees served until 1920, at which time the first mayor began his term in office.
Throughout its history, the citizens of Salem have been hardworking, neighborly, and flexible, adapting to the changes time has required of them.
by ULCT
The City of Salem and surrounding area offers a multitude of activities for visitors and residents alike. From natural wonders such as Dixie Caverns and the Salem Farmer' s Market to the man-made wonders such as the Salem Fair and Olde Salem Days, the Salem Community offers something to please everyone.
The City of Salem features many small parks and several large parks that cater to the needs of young and young at heart. Just on the outskirts of Salem, in Roanoke County, Green Hill Park is abound with walkers, runners, joggers and families enjoying the facilities.
Salem offers a marked bike route that features steep grades, such as 12 O'Clock Knob, to winding roadways through downtown and some of Salem's oldest neighborhoods.
Many visitors to the area enjoy walking in downtown Salem and visiting the many antique and specialty shops this area has to offer. People come from all over just to walk down our Main Street!
Salem offers history buffs a look into the past with its historic buildings and homes. The Williams-Brown House-Store, built in 1840, is located in Longwood Park and open to the public. It exhibits Salem's history from its Native American roots through the present
Salem aerial map
Please click on any icon on the Salem aerial tourist map, to find close by places, offering hotels and tourist information. You can zoom in and zoom out our touristical map as well as switch between satelite and map view of Salem.
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