Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Salem

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
A−History
History · Salem

Salem dates to 1802, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns · #39 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it

19 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 74 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1860.

1802founded
19on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Salem’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Salem began

When was Salem founded?

1802

Salem dates its founding to 1802 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 612 in 18602020 census: 25,346224 years

How historic is Salem?

A−

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata.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 81% of U.S. towns, #39 of 253 in Virginia. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Salem’s overall grade.
Founding era1802, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194013.1% of homes (±2.5) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register19 listings, 97 historic buildings, 37.9 per 10,000 residents · typical VA town 3.6 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 81%
NewerOlder
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 85%

Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Salem’s 37.9 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 97 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1802.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size.

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.

Lost villages84 hamlets and corners are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Landmarks on the Register19 places on the National Register.Mapped building by building7 fire insurance maps, 1886 to 1922, drew every building in Salem.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Alta ViewBellevue ParkBeverly HeightsBonvue HeightsBoulevard EstatesBraeburnBraxton HeightsBuckingham EstatesBurwellCameron CourtCarlton ParkCircle TerraceCliffviewConehurstCountry Club EstatesDale CourtDeep DellDixie HeightsDropmoreEdgewoodEvans HillFairfieldForest LawnFort Lewis Terrace
Gone or out of use
Elizabeth CollegeschoolFarris TavernbuildingPilgrim Holiness Churchchurch
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Salem
Church HillEast HillHarris

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Salem’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewLutheran Orphanage: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

19 listings protect 97 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
19
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
97
each building in a district counts
first listed
1971
Williams-Brown House and Store
Williams-Brown House and StoreEvans HouseMain Campus Complex, Roanoke College, built 1842Salem Presbyterian ChurchAcademy Street School, built 1903Old Roanoke County CourthouseSalem Presbyterian ParsonageSalem Post OfficeSouthwest Virginia Holiness Association Camp MeetingDowntown Salem Historic DistrictMcVitty HomePreston HouseValley Railroad BridgeBlair ApartmentsMonterey, built 1853Peacock-Salem Launderers and CleanersNorth Broad Street Historic DistrictValleydale Packers Inc.Hart Motor Company
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival6
Colonial Revival3
French Empire Style1
Victorian Gothic1
Victorian1
Neo-Classical1
Williams-Brown House and StoreGreek Revival
Evans HouseFrench Empire Style
Main Campus Complex, Roanoke CollegeGreek Revival · Built 1842
Salem Presbyterian ChurchGreek Revival
Academy Street SchoolVictorian · Built 1903
Old Roanoke County CourthouseNeo-Classical
Salem Presbyterian ParsonageGreek Revival
Salem Post OfficeColonial Revival
All 19 listings
Southwest Virginia Holiness Association Camp MeetingBuilding · listed 1996Downtown Salem Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1996McVitty HomeBuilding · listed 2003Preston HouseBuilding · listed 2005Valley Railroad BridgeStructure · listed 2009Blair ApartmentsBuilding · listed 2017MontereyBuilding · listed 1999Peacock-Salem Launderers and CleanersBuilding · listed 2019North Broad Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2019Valleydale Packers Inc.Building · listed 2019Hart Motor CompanyBuilding · listed 2024

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Salem came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Salem.

Read it all →

The earliest history of Salem exists as archaeological evidence of Native American tribes from as far back as 8,000 BCE until the middle of the 18th century. Europeans first explored the area of Salem in 1671, when the Siouan-speaking Totero people had a village nearby. Explorers Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam gave the area its first recorded name: Totero Town, after this tribe, who supplied them with a guide to help with further exploration. Fort Lewis, named for General Andrew Lewis, of what is now Roanoke County, was built west of the town in 1752. Salem's Andrew Lewis Middle School (formerly Andrew Lewis High School) was named after General Lewis. Salem became a small settlement serving travelers on the Great Road (roughly the same path followed by US-11 and later Interstate 81 today) and was officially founded in 1802, receiving its charter in 1806. It is not known why the town was…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Salem in 1929

Passages that mention Salem, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The First Church in Salem, gathered July and August, 1629, has had no place of worship but this spot. ( From tablet set in outer wall of the Unitarian Church, corner Washington and Essex Streets, Salem.)
Throckmorton family history1929Read the page →
Read the text

The First Church in Salem, gathered July and August, 1629, has had no place of worship but this spot. ( From tablet set in outer wall of the Unitarian Church, corner Washington and Essex Streets, Salem.)

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, 1802 to 1991

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1802
    FoundingSalem is established
  3. 1842BuiltMain Campus Complex, Roanoke College is built
  4. 1853BuiltMonterey is built
  5. 1861Born hereDavid Carey Shanks is born here
  6. 1892Born hereRuth Painter Randall is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1903BuiltAcademy Street School is built
  9. 1920In the archiveLutheran Orphanage
  10. 1929On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1930Born hereLeander J. Shaw, Jr. is born here
  12. 1969In the archiveFlood plain inundation map, Salem, Virginia
  13. 1980In the archiveThe Second-Empire-style Evans-Webber House
  14. 1991Born hereShanna Young is born here
By decade

Salem, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1920s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s1 item
Lutheran Orphanage1920Lutheran Orphanage
1930s–1950snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1960s–1980s2 items
Flood plain inundation map, Salem, Virginia1969Flood plain inundation map, Salem, VirginiaMapThe Second-Empire-style Evans-Webber House1980The Second-Empire-style Evans-Webber House
1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today24 recent
2021 6 19 Salem AutoX 01220212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 0122021 6 19 Salem AutoX 01120212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 0112021 6 19 Salem AutoX 01020212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 0102021 6 19 Salem AutoX 00920212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 0092021 6 19 Salem AutoX 00820212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 0082021 6 19 Salem AutoX 00720212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 0072021 6 19 Salem AutoX 00620212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 0062021 6 19 Salem AutoX 00520212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 0052021 6 19 Salem AutoX 00420212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 0042021 6 19 Salem AutoX 00320212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 0032021 6 19 Salem AutoX 00220212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 0022021 6 19 Salem AutoX 00120212021 6 19 Salem AutoX 001Virginia Senate District 19 (2011)2019Virginia Senate District 19 (2011)Hardee's2017Hardee'sHardee's2017Hardee'sAbandoned Shoney's2017Abandoned Shoney'sAbandoned Shoney's2017Abandoned Shoney'sMap of a part of the Salem Improvement Company's property at Salem, Va2014Map of a part of the Salem Improvement Company's prop…MapSalem, VA 24153, USA - panoramio (49)2012Salem, VA 24153, USA - panoramio (49)Farmers Market2011Farmers MarketCity of Salem Farmers Market2011City of Salem Farmers MarketGreetings from Salem, Virginia - Large Letter Postcard2010Greetings from Salem, Virginia - Large Letter PostcardDocumentSouth Salem Falcons vs. Bedford2009South Salem Falcons vs. BedfordVAMap-doton-Salem2005VAMap-doton-Salem
On the map

Salem on the map, 1929 to 1994

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

Salem on the 1929 USGS mapSalem on the 1932 USGS mapSalem on the 1963 USGS mapSalem on the 1977 USGS mapSalem on the 1984 USGS mapSalem on the 1994 USGS map1929Salem sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Salem.

Every building

Salem, building by building, 1886–1922

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 year, then a sheet.

Salem fire insurance map, 1886, sheet 11886Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Lutheran Orphanage
Retake this viewLutheran Orphanage, 1920

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Salem’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Salem, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00019001950200025,346

Grew from 612 people in 1860 to 25,346 in 2020, more than tenfold.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Salem

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Leander J. Shaw, Jr.American jurist · b. 1930
David Carey ShanksUnited States Army general · b. 1861
R
Ruth Painter RandallAmerican historian · b. 1892
S
Shanna YoungAmerican mixed martial arts fighter · b. 1991
Alex LightAmerican football offensive tackle · b. 1996
M
Mark ByingtonAmerican basketball player · b. 1976
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Roanoke60 historic placesA−Glenvar1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCave Spring1 historic placeC+

Questions about Salem’s history

What year was Salem founded?

In 1802, according to Wikidata. the census of 1860 counted 612 people here.

How does Salem rank for history?

Salem is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #39 of 253 in Virginia. 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?

19 listings: 16 buildings, among them the Williams-Brown House and Store (listed 1971, the first), 2 historic districts, the Downtown Salem Historic District and the North Broad Street Historic District, with 74 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 97 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Salem?

13% of Salem’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1971.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (25), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (19), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.