Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1910 on and the census since 1860.
North Salem dates its founding to 1835 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1860.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how North Salem’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of North Salem.
North Salem was laid out in 1835. A post office was established at North Salem in 1839. North Salem was incorporated as a town in 1899.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Peaked at 626 in 1960; 464 people lived here in 2020.
17 censuses, 1860–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on North Salem’s Wikipedia page.
Passages that mention North Salem, cut from the printed page as they were published.
William Robert Davidson remained on the home farm until his marriage, after which he farmed his father's place for eight years and then, after three years' residence in North Salem, he bought ninety-two and a half acres east of his present farm, where he lived for thirteen years. He then sold this farm and moved four miles northeast of North Salem, after which he lived three years in North Salem, then bought his present farm of sixty-seven and a half acres, two miles northeast of North Salem. He has improved his farm in many ways and has brought it up to a high state of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
After his return" from the war he worked in a saw-mill till 1868, when he came to North Salem, this county, and for fifteen years was prpprietor of the North Salem Saw-mill. In December, 1883, he began buying and shipping timber for an Indianapolis firm, and in February, 1885, he engaged in the mercantile business, having bought out Mr. W. J. K. P. Jones. He was married April 3, 1854, to Martha J. Gibson, and to them have been born five chil¬ dren — John F., Mollie, Thomas B., Annie B. and Mattie J. Mr.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
and opera house building in North Salem. Later he built the bank building, which contains the Masonic hall in the upper stories, and since then has built most of the business houses of North Salem. He has also built all of the brick school houses in Eel River township except two, and a large number of concrete bridges over Hendricks county. At the present time he manages the opera house and also owns and operates a cement tile factory at North Salem. As a contractor he is recognized as one of the most efficient and trustworthy artisans in }:he county, and his various buildings are a tribute to
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyThe U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Salem.
1958North Salem sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of North Salem.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.
1910Sheet 1 of 1Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Nobody well known was born in North Salem itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
In 1835, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. North Salem’s post office opened in 1839, and the census of 1860 counted 160 people here.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2020
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