The Salem Downtown Historic District is a national historic district located at Salem,

Washington County, Indiana Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 28,262. The county seat (and the county's only incorporated city) is Salem. Washington County is part of the Louisville metro ...

. The original plat of the town, founded in 1814, is within the district. It is bounded by Mulberry and Hackberry Street in the north, Hayes Street in the east, the

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

railroad tracks in the south, and Brock Creek to the west. It encompasses 253 contributing buildings, 3 contributing structures, and 5 contributing objects in the central business district of Salem. The district was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1997. Its architectural styles are

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian ...

, Gothic Revival,

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

Late Victorian Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

, Early Republic, and Late 19th/20th Century Revivals. ''Note:'' This includes
Site mapQuad map
and Accompanying photographs Within the District are several building which are individually listed on the National Register: * Hay-Morrison House, two blocks east of the square, which is part of the

John Hay Center __NOTOC__ The John Hay Center is on the eastern edge of the Salem Downtown Historic District in Salem, Indiana. It comprises: * Hay-Morrison House: birthplace and home of Abraham Lincoln's private secretary and Secretary of State under William ...

* Washington County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of in 1980. It was built in Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style by Harry P. McDonald of

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

and his brother in 1888, the third courthouse at that location.

Limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

from the area was used in the construction. * Washington County Jail and Sheriff's Residence is a half block south of the courthouse square. It was placed on the National Register in 1984. It was built by Joseph Balsley in a

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

architectural style. It is now a women's and Children's shelter. * First Baptist Church, two blocks northeast of the square, was placed on the National Register in 1985. It was built by R.C. Stephans in 1921. It is of Romanesque style architecture. Markers on the square note when

John Hunt Morgan John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864) was an American soldier who served as a Confederate general in the American Civil War of 1861–1865. In April 1862, Morgan raised the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment (CSA) and fought in ...

raided the town, with a cannon pointing as it did on that day when the Raiders arrived in town. The Salem Presbyterian Church, one block east of the square, is on the state register of historic places; all on the National register are automatically on the state register.

Gallery

Image:Salem_IN_Courthouse.jpg, County Courthouse Image:Salem_IN_Jail.jpg, Jail and Sheriff's Residence Image:Salem_IN_First_Baptist_Church.jpg, First Baptist Church

References

Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Italianate architecture in Indiana Gothic Revival architecture in Indiana Neoclassical architecture in Indiana Buildings and structures in Washington County, Indiana National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Indiana {{LouisvilleMSA-stub