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History · New Salem

New Salem’s post office opened in 1872

Below: maps from 1889 on.

1872first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How New Salem began

When was New Salem founded?

1872

The New Salem post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 58154 years
Founding year: the first New Salem post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about New Salem’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 are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18894 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1985. Watch New Salem change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start New Salem’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

New Salem on the map, 1889 to 1985

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

New Salem on the 1889 USGS mapNew Salem on the 1965 USGS mapNew Salem on the 1979 USGS mapNew Salem on the 1985 USGS map1889Burden sheet · 1:125,000

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.

The story

How New Salem came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of New Salem.

Read it all →

A post office was opened in New Salem in 1872, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1972.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

New Salem, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Map of Cowley Co, Ks, USA2005Map of Cowley Co, Ks, USAMap
Famous people

Famous people close to New Salem

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

See all →
Eugene PalletteAmerican actor · b. 1889
D
Darren E. BurrowsAmerican actor · b. 1966
Ira DavenportAmerican track athlete, baseball player, Americ… · b. 1887
B
Bob BrannumAmerican basketball player-coach · b. 1925
Mary McCartyAmerican actress · b. 1923
R
Robert A. AlbertyBiophysical chemist · b. 1921

Questions about New Salem’s history

What year was New Salem founded?

The New Salem post office opened in 1872, 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 →
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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 Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.