Columbiana County, Ohio Columbiana County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 101,877. The county seat is Lisbon and its largest city is Salem. Created in 1803, the county name is derived from that of 15th-centur ...

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

Salem, New Jersey Salem is a city in and the county seat of Salem County,New Jersey County Map

, Street's native community. The name Salem itself is a biblical derivative of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, which means "city of peace". The city's early settlers included the

Religious Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

, also known as Quakers, which the local school district's sports teams honor by referring to themselves collectively as the Salem Quakers. Salem was incorporated in 1830. Salem was a center of

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

and

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

activity in the 19th century. '' The Anti-Slavery Bugle'', an abolitionist newspaper, was published in Salem beginning in 1845. A local group of the Progressive Friends, an association of Quakers who separated from the main body partly to be freer to work for such causes as abolitionism and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

, formed in Salem in 1849. The local school board at that time was composed entirely of abolitionists. Salem was the site of an annual conference, the Anti-Slavery Fair, whose purpose was to raise money for anti-slavery activities. The Daniel Howell Hise House and John Street House were stops on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. In April 1850, Salem hosted the first Women's Rights Convention in Ohio, the third such convention in the United States (the first two being the Seneca Falls Convention and Rochester Women's Rights Convention of 1848). The Salem Convention was the first of these conventions to be organized on a statewide basis. All the convention officers were women. Men were not allowed to vote, sit on the platform, or speak during the convention. The male spectators were supportive, however, and when the convention was over, they created an organization of their own and endorsed the actions of the women's convention. Advantageously located between

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

and

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, Salem thrived on an industrial-based economy in the 19th and 20th centuries. For several decades, Salem's largest employers included

American Standard Brands American Standard Brands is a North American manufacturer of plumbing fixtures, based in Piscataway, New Jersey, United States. Since 2013, it has been a subsidiary of the Lixil Group. The company was formed from American Standard Americas, ...

, Eljer, Mullins Manufacturing, Deming Pump, and Salem China. Today, American Standard retains production in the city, as well as the Fresh Mark meat production facility and several tool-and-die manufacturers.

Geography

Salem is located about southwest of

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

, east of Canton, and southeast of

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has an area of , all land. Salem is the largest incorporated place by area in Columbiana County. The city is mostly surrounded by unincorporated Perry Township. Salem has annexed portions of Perry Township. Several acres of Salem Township and Green Township were annexed into the city limits in 2000 and 2001. Other actions to spur economic development undertaken around the same time annexed specific land: in 1999, of Salem Township were granted police and fire protection, snow removal service, and other city services.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 12,303 people, 5,272 households, and 3,118 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,763 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population. There were 5,272 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.9% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the city was 42.8 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 28.3% were from 45 to 64; and 19.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,197 people, 5,146 households, and 3,247 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,505 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.35%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.52%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.09% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.08% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population. There were 5,146 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,006, and the median income for a family was $40,191. Males had a median income of $31,630 versus $19,471 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,579. About 9.8% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.9% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Intersection of Lundy and State - Salem Ohio

According to the Sustainable Opportunity Development Center in Salem, as of 2022, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture

Two neighborhoods of the city are designated as National Register historic districts: the South Lincoln Avenue Historic District (designated 1993) and the Salem Downtown Historic District (designated 1995), which includes several of the town's monumental and architecturally distinctive homes and businesses. Other city properties listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

include the Burchfield Homestead, home to painter

Charles E. Burchfield Charles Ephraim Burchfield (April 9, 1893 – January 10, 1967) was an American Painting, painter and visionary artist, known for his passionate watercolors of nature scenes and townscapes. The largest collection of Burchfield's paintings, archiv ...

from ages 5 to 28; the Daniel Howell Hise House and John Street House, both

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

stations; and the First United Methodist Church.

Government

Salem operates under a chartered

mayor–council government A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most comm ...

. Eight council members are elected as a legislature for two-year terms, which constitutes four separate wards, three at-large districts, and a council president. An independently elected mayor serves as an executive. As of 2024, the mayor is Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey ( R) and the council president is Sara Baronzzi ( R). The mayor, auditor, treasurer, and law director are all elected to four-year terms.

Education

Children in Salem are served by the public Salem City School District, which includes three elementary schools, one junior high school, and Salem Senior High School. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown operates the private St. Paul Elementary School for grades K-8. Allegheny Wesleyan College is a private, four-year

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...

in Salem that grants bachelor's and associate degrees in ministry and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

-related disciplines.

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

operates a satellite campus, Kent State University at Salem, with one building in the city proper and another just outside the city limits in Salem Township. The campus grants

associate's degrees An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

and

bachelor's degrees A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Neo-Latin, Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and university, universities upon completion of a course of study lasting ...

, and also offers introductory programs that can be completed at the main campus.

Transportation

U.S. Route 62 travels around downtown Salem on an east–west route. State Route 9 runs north–south through the city and terminates at its intersection with U.S. 62. State Route 14 travels east–west through Salem, sharing a short concurrency with SR 9 and State Route 173 on State Street. SR 173's eastern terminus is in downtown Salem and travels east–west to

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

. State Route 344's western terminus is also in downtown Salem and travels east–west to Columbiana.

Notable people

* Dustin Bates, lead singer and songwriter for STARSET and formerly Downplay * Chalkley Beeson, businessman, musician, lawman, and owner of Long Branch Saloon * Charles Burchfield, 20th-century painter and visionary artist * John Allen Campbell, first governor of the

Wyoming Territory The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital. The ...

* Jason Candle,

NCAA football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

coach for the Toledo Rockets * Joe Daley, jazz saxophonist, composer, and teacher * Max Fisher, businessman and philanthropist, served as an advisor to U.S. presidents for

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i connections *

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...

, disc jockey who coined the term "

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

" * Sarah Elizabeth Mitchell Guernsey, President General of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

* Daniel Howell Hise, diarist and abolitionist whose home was on the Underground Railroad * Caleb Hunt, a founder of the

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

that built and operated the historic steamboat ''Enterprise'' * Elisha Hunt, principal founder of the

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

that built and operated the historic steamboat ''Enterprise'' * Rich Karlis,

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

* Kirk Lowdermilk,

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

center * Jerry Meals,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French , , and , : (as evidenced in cricke ...

* Jerri Nielsen, physician who administered a biopsy and chemotherapy to herself in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

* John Hunt Painter, Quaker abolitionist who sent the firearms to John Brown for the raid on Harper's Ferry * Marius Robinson, minister, abolitionist and editor of '' The Anti-Slavery Bugle'' *

Michael Rulli Michael Anthony Rulli (born March 11, 1969) is an American politician, musician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Ohio's 6th congressional district since 2024. He previously served as an Ohio State Senator for the 33rd di ...

, member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Ohio's 6th district * Webster Street, lawyer who served as chief justice of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court * Charles C. Williamson, librarian * Lloyd Yoder,

NCAA football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

tackle and

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

inductee

Notes

References

External links

City website
* http://www.SODCenter.com Economic Development website
Salem Historical Society

Salem Public Library

Salem Chamber of Commerce

Salem A Quaker City History
{{Authority control Cities in Columbiana County, Ohio Populated places established in 1806 Cities in Mahoning County, Ohio 1806 establishments in Ohio Cities in Ohio

History

Geography

Demographics

2010 census

2000 census

Economy

Arts and culture

Government

Education

Transportation

Notable people

See also

Notes

References

External links