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History · New Salem Township

New Salem Township’s post office opened in 1848, and 57% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1926 on.

1848first post office
0on the National Register
57%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How New Salem Township began

When was New Salem Township founded?

1848

The New Salem Township post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 515178 years
Founding year: the first New Salem Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about New Salem Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of New Salem Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of New Salem Township’s homes were built before 1938.Deep rootsA post office since 1848: 178 years of New Salem Township.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start New Salem Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how New Salem Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

New Salem Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of New Salem Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

New Salem Township is located in Pike County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 573 and it contained 276 housing units.

Its first post office opened in 1848. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 573 to 515 (-10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your album
On the map

New Salem Township on the map, 1926 to 1998

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of New Salem Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

New Salem Township on the 1926 USGS mapNew Salem Township on the 1981 USGS mapNew Salem Township on the 1998 USGS map1926Pittsfield sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of New Salem Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to New Salem Township

Nobody well known was born in New Salem Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Walter A. ShewhartAmerican statistical quality control expert · b. 1891
Floyd DellNovelist, poet, playwright, critic, editor · b. 1887
George A. NeeleyAmerican politician · b. 1879
C
Clifton C. EdomAmerican photojournalist · b. 1907
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Cottage Grove SchoolschoolCrump SchoolschoolGray SchoolschoolOwls Nest SchoolschoolStarkey SchoolschoolTeneriffe SchoolschoolWhite Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside New Salem Township
GrayStarkeySwiggett

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Hadley Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGriggsville Township1 historic placeA+Pittsfield Township4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFairmount TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBaylisIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPerry Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about New Salem Township’s history

What year was New Salem Township founded?

The New Salem Township post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.