On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Salem Township is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Salem Township’s overall grade.
Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Salem Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (22% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.6 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Salem Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Salem Township
BlockCircleCounty LineHollisterTrinityWright
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Salem Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Salem Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Salem Township is one of twelve townships in Steuben County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,189, down from 2,262 at 2010, and it contained 1,144 housing units.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,262 to 2,189 (-3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Salem Township in 1885
Passages that mention Salem Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Steuben County, Indiana, together with... biographies of representative citizens1885 · page 746Read the page →
Read the text
when he came to Steuben County. His homestead contains 250 acres of land 180 acres located on sections 35 and 36, Salem Township, and seventy acres across the county line in Fairfield Township, De Kalb County. His residence, on section 36, Salem Township, is a fine two story brick built in 1880 at a cost of $2,500. He also owns a farm of 200 acres on sections 18 and 19, Salem Township, which is carried on by his son Albert. Mr. Gonser is a successful farmer. He has? cleared over 200 acres of land,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Steuben County, Indiana, together with... biographies of representative citizens1885 · page 750Read the page →
Read the text
for twenty years. In 1863 he came to Steuben County, Ind., and bought twenty acres of land of John Boon on section 30, and in the year of 1876 he purchased forty acres more of Samuel Bair on section 31, all of which is in Salem Township. About eighteen acres had been cleared and a log cabin built, which is still standing. Mr. Kimmel now has fifty acres improved. In 1880 he built a pleasant frame residence and a good barn, and in many other ways has improved the place. Sept. 20, 1864, he enlisted for one year in
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.
Timeline
Salem Township, 1852 to 1903
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Salem Township is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Salem Township?
23% of Salem Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1956.
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).
From the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
