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–Not graded
History · Salem Township

48% of Salem Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1870.

0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
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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.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Salem Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 533 in 1900; 83 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Salem Township’s homes were built before 1943.
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Start Salem Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how 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.
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People over time

Salem Township, census by census

010020030040050018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 533

Peaked at 533 in 1900; 83 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Salem Township’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Salem Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Salem Township.

Read it all →

Salem was laid out in 1855. Salem is derived from the Hebrew word shalom, meaning "peace". It was incorporated as a city in 1856.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Salem Township, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Salem, NE2017Salem, NENE8w-North Fork Big Nemaha River bridge2014NE8w-North Fork Big Nemaha River bridgeNEMap-doton-Salem2005NEMap-doton-Salem
On the map

Salem Township on the map, 1896 to 1970

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

Salem Township on the 1896 USGS mapSalem Township on the 1970 USGS map1896Holdrege 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 Salem Township.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Macon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAntelope TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLincoln TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Salem Township’s history

Memory lane

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

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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 (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.