THE CITY OF SALEM
 Salem, Ohio was founded by Zadok Street and John Straughan (Strawn) on April 30, 1806. The word "Salem" means 'peace' and comes from the term 'Jerusalem'. Many of the early townspeople were Quakers. Salem was the site of the Western Headquarters for the Anti-Slavery Association, which published THE ANTI-SLAVERY BUGLE. In 1850, Ohio's first Women's Rights Convention was held in Salem, the second such convention in the United States.
SALEM HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Salem Historical Society was formed in 1947, with Roy W. Harris as president. Single annual dues are $20.00, Family annual dues are $40.00. A Life Membership is $1000.00 per person. Membership includes a subscription to the SALEM HISTORICAL BUGLE " newsletter. Meetings are at 7:00 on the second Tuesday of each month at the Museum.
THE MUSEUM
The Salem Historical Society Museum is a nonprofit volunteer organization which maintains three buildings to house and display the many historical artifacts. Its purpose is to collect, explain, and preserve Salem's history.
The Museum buildings are open each Sunday afternoon, May through October. There is a small admission charge.
Organizations are encouraged to schedule tours for their members. School reunions often include the Museum in their planned activities. Arrangements for special tours for groups of five or more can be made by calling the Museum Director at 337-8514.
MAIN MUSEUM BUILDINGS
In December, 1971, W. Ray Pearce donated the first museum, Pearce Building, at 208 South Broadway Avenue in memory of his wife, Elizabeth. The corner brick building, Schell Building, was purchased in 1974 and the two were then connected. In 1979 a meeting room was added with a grant from the Salem Community Foundation.
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Items on display cover a wide range of subjects. Many of the rooms have a special theme, including the following:
One-Room School, with Fourth Street school desks, woodstove, books, clock, dunce cap
Clothing Room, wedding dresses on models, hats, gloves, shoes
War Room, with uniforms and personnel items from the Spanish-American War to Viet Nam
Doctor's Office, in its actual location, with instruments and equipment used by Salem doctors and pharmacists
Kitchen, has a Salem made Woodruff coal cookstove, Deming Company hand pump, 1916 Maytag washer, and a variety of irons
Music Room, displays instruments, uniforms, band photos, radios
Industrial Room, research metal products with catalogs, photos and artifacts with emphasis on the W. H. Mullin's Company.
Colonial Bedroom, with rope bed, and quilts, cradles, furnishings
Library, historical, census and scrapbooks for research and genealogy
Victorian Parlor, where furniture, music box, pump organ, and bear rug depict the era
Toy Room, filled with nostalgia of games, dolls, racers, and wagons
Special exhibits within the rooms of the Museum include Wall of Fame, cameras, typewriters, seashells, industrial models, bottles, old store equipment, Salem China Co., ethnic items of Romanians and Saxons, and photo displays of churches, trolleys, and other areas of local history.
There are hundreds of special artifacts on display at the Salem Historical Museum. These objects --legacies of yesteryear-- give life to the past, making history more than just words on a printed page. The collection is a meaningful and tangible part of our heritage. Each item helps to complete the Salem story.
FREEDOM HALL
Freedom Hall, a separate building which opened in 1987, was built as a replica of Liberty Hall, which is still standing, and was the meeting place for the Western Headquarters of the Anti-Slavery Association. Freedom Hall honors those people of early Salem who risked their lives to help their fellow man to freedom. Informational displays on the third floor tell of the local Underground Railroad activity.
All displays in the building center around the Civil War era. The main floor maintains the flavor of the original carpenter shop with tools and equipment from early farms, mills, and homes. It also houses a blacksmith set-up.
Other displays feature coal mining, fire-fighting, a weaver's loom, a brick collection from 'remembered' Salem buildings, and many items on loan from a Civil War organization which meets elsewhere.
GIFT SHOP
For Salem related souvenirs, visit our Gift Shop. Books and other publications on Salem's history, postcards, mugs, plates, and interesting memorabilia are available.
HERB GARDEN
The beautiful Herb Garden on the Museum grounds has won awards for the Salem Garden Club. The Club designed the area, planted the herbs and flowers, and maintains the garden. An iron fomtain that had been used to water horses on Lundy Avenue is a focal point of the garden.
AUTOMOBILE
On display in the Sprowl Garage is a fully-restored 1923 Ford 'doctor's coupe' and other information of Salem's automotive businesses.
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