"Riley's Place" is located inside DePauw Park. DePauw Park is just a few blocks west of the Salem Square. Riley's Place was named after Riley Jean Tomlinson, a local toddler who accidentally drowned in a swimming pool, the park was built in 2001 and contains two and three story wooden castles and other structures for children's play along with swings, slides, and similar playground equipment.

Rosa Luna Fields is a small alpaca farm situated in Pekin. The main attraction is the Huacaya Alpacas. Alpacas are native to the Andes mountains, at altitudes of up to 13,000 ft above sea level. Its natural range encompasses four South American countries. Rosa Luna Fields presently have 8 females and a four month old male named Leo. Alpacas are fascinating animals each with their own personality. The other girls on the farm are Italian Honeybees and our chickens and guineas. Rosa Luna Fields shear once a year, usually in April. They collect the fiber for yarn and crafts and the girls stay cool in our hot, humid summers. Their handmade produc ...

Rosebud Bakery is located west of Salem and has been serving customers since 2014. Rosebud is a general store and bakery and specializes in homemade baked goods, deli sandwiches, and much more.

Washington County is home to many unique types of vintage rural barns. These barns have historical significance and were designed to suit the agricultural and farming needs of their time. These barns provide a link to the agricultural traditions and family legacies in the area .

Since 1875, #3 Lyon Block – the current home of Salem Apothecary on the north west side of the Salem Square – has been standing watch over the health and well-being of Washington County. Built by Dawson Lyon, Lyon block is the oldest standing building on the Salem Square and since its completion has always been home to your local independent pharmacist.

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, A ...

This mural on the southwest side of the Salem Square is a tribute to our Washington County pioneer ancestors, Beck's Mill, native sons John Hay and Everett Dean. Everett Dean was born in Livonia, Indiana in 1898 and was the first Basketball All-American at Indiana University.

Lee W. Sinclair (1836-1916), principal among the leading citizens of his time, was a Washington County businessman and owned a large woolen mill in Salem from 1866-1884. The arrival of the mill created a local market for sheep farmers and at the height of production the mill employed 75-80 employees. Sinclair's massive three story factory, located on the same parcel as the former Armory, burned on December 5th 1883. The Salem mill developed a kind of cloth which was sold to Levi's Company. Some contemporary advertisements refer to the business as the "Salem Jean Factory."

See how fast your car can go with drag racing at the airport. The old airport runway has been converted into a drag strip. When the green light flashes hit the gas and see what she can really do!

Pictured from Left to Right in the Mural 1) Dr. “Granny" Mary Reid-Lusk - In this locale, for all practical purposes, she had become a Medical Practitioner. During that era, female practitioners were referred to as "Grannies." so Mary became known as Granny Lusk. It is said, during her heyday. Mary would mount her horse and ride as far away as two or three counties, to assist some pioneer medical patient.  She was capable of delivering babies, setting broken bones and performing minor surgeries. It's also rumored that she was one of the most crucial contributors, to our county's Underground Railroad Operation, providing medical services for the free ...

The Salem Post Office is significant as part of the federal program which built new central and branch post offices throughout the United States. Constructed in 1935, it preceded the formation of the W.P.A.

Salem Presbyterian Church was organized in 1817 by Rev. Samuel Shannon of Kentucky. The structure, located on North High near Walnut, was dedicated in 1841, and was the first church built by the congregation. The church is a simple red brick structure with a slender steeple, it is one of the earliest churches in Salem and is constructed of handmade brick and limestone.

Unlike most municipalities in Indiana that received Carnegie Libraries, Salem enjoyed a long-standing tradition of lending books. The Salem Library Association was organized in 1818 and its first collection was housed in the courthouse. This facility of 200 volumes remained in service until 1830. In 1855, 375 books were donated to the county by William McClure of New Harmony, as part of a program for the "mental improvement and instruction of the workman." In the same decade, another philanthropist donated money for township libraries, of which Salem was a beneficiary. A local philanthropic group called the Fort Nightly Club solicited Carnegie donat ...

The Salem Speedway has enjoyed the recognition of being one of the most unique and renowned racetracks in America. The .555-mile oval that features imposing 33-degree banks was built strictly for speed. High powered sprint cars accelerate down the straights at speeds reaching nearly 140 miles per hour. Salem is a track steeped in history with many of the giants in auto racing having competed on the treacherous “hills” at some point in their careers, Names such as Ruttman, Carter, Sweikert, O’Connor, Jones, Foyt, Unser, Andretti, Vogler, Allison, Parsons, and Waltrip just o name a few, grace the list of past winners. The Salem Speedway roars to life ...

In 1828 the Methodist Church built their first sanctuary at High and Market Streets. The first floor brick walls of this structure still remain although it was largely destroyed by a fire in 1901. In 1893 a new Romanesque church was built at 200 East Market which was demolished in 1962 in order to build the present structure. Although the church is not architecturally significant, it is notable for the contribution of its prominent members the DePauw family, whose endowment established DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

The Salem Walking Trail is a paved surface 2 mile walking trail located near downtown Salem. The trailheads are located near the Washington County Family YMCA and the Bradie Shrum School parking lot.

Salem secured a grant of $16,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York in February 1904 and broke ground in August of 1904. The Salem Library opened in July 1905 and is still in use today as the Salem Community Library. The Carnegie Library in Salem is one of just one hundred in the state of Indiana still being used for its original purpose. Indiana received more than 160 grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to build public libraries (more than any other state).

Sweet treats such as cookies, cupcakes and more made fresh daily.

In the early days of Washington County, three generations of the Shrum family, whose professional work is found in buildings in Washington D.C. as well as San Francisco, helped lend to Salem the atmosphere of a larger more sophisticated town. Owner of a brick yard, the scion of the family, Alfred Shrum came to Salem from Virginia. He had worked as a mason on construction of the east wing of the White House. Through the years, Alfred worked on the Sinclair Woolen Mill, the Washington County Courthouse, the Lyon Block, the streets and sidewalks of Salem, and his own Second Empire style home on Hackberry. Guy, his son, was involved in construction ...

The Silver Fox Café is a hometown café serving coffee, home-cooked food, and a friendly atmosphere. It is a great spot for your morning cup of joe, lunch with friends, and much more!