Salem dates to 1851, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 27% of U.S. towns · #74 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Most of Salem was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2005. Its Register listing is the Ira W. Gardner House. Its Register listing is the Ira W. Gardner House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1948 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1872.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Salem’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Salem is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #74 of 119 in Utah. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Salem’s overall grade.
Utah towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Utah town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Salem’s 1.0 sits near the middle of its state (44% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1851.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). 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’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Known as "Summer Spring" by the Indians, and "Pond Town" by early settlers. Pond Town was first settled in 1851.
Salem was later named after New Salem, Massachusetts, the birthplace of Lyman Curtis, to honor his contributions to the community. Curtis was a bodyguard for Joseph Smith. He was later among the earliest Latter-day Saint settlers in Utah. Curtis also was important in central Utah for founding a lumber mill and being involved in important irrigation efforts.
In 1851, according to Wikidata. Salem’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1860 counted 179 people here.
How does Salem rank for history?
Salem is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns, #74 of 119 in Utah. 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.
What is on the National Register in Salem?
One place: the Ira W. Gardner House (listed 1977).
How old are the homes in Salem?
3% of Salem’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 2005.
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 Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.
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