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History · Salem

Salem’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Salem. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Salem is a census-designated place (CDP) in Saline County, Arkansas, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 2,544. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,607 to 2,544 (-2%). Half of its homes were built before 1979.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Salem yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Salem’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from SalemWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Salem.Meet them →
By decade

Salem, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Salem is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Salem has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Hester-Lenz House in Benton, 2 miles away.

Salem and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Salem. Tap a dot.
Hester-Lenz HouseAndrew Hunter HouseInternational Harvester ServicenterShoppach HouseJ. W. and Ann Lowe Clary HouseBenton Commercial Historic District

Closest to Salem

Hester-Lenz HouseBenton · Building2miAndrew Hunter HouseBryant · Building3.6miInternational Harvester ServicenterBenton · Building4miShoppach HouseBenton · Building4.6miJ. W. and Ann Lowe Clary HouseBenton · Building4.7mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Hester-Lenz House’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Salem?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Salem’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Benton📜 Bryant📜 Bauxite📜 Alexander
The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Salem, ARView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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