Salem Downtown Historic District

The Salem Downtown Historic District is a national historic district located at Salem, Washington County, Indiana. The original plat of the town, founded in 1814, is within the district. Downtown architectural styles are Italianate, Gothic Revival, Classical Revival, Late Victorian, Early Republic, and Late 19th/20th Century Revivals. The Italianate style is the most common building style extant on the square.

Salem's continuing sense of downtown pride and industry is evident in an article printed in the Democratic Sun in 1896:

"The store buildings are mostly constructed of brick, some of them being fitted up elaborately and at great expense, Almost every line of business is represented in town, drygoods, and general merchandising predominating. Salem is essentially a mercantile town, it's business portion being what is called the public square, in the center of which stands the handsome and imposing pile of stones forming the county court house. It is lively and interesting to watch the conflux of farming vehicles on market days. The square is literally packed with young people brought to town for purposes of barter, purchase or sale."