Salem (Ohio)

Salem is a city in northern Columbiana County and extreme southern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. At the 2010 census, the city's population was 12,303. Salem is the principal city of the Salem, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the small portion of the city that extends into Mahoning County is considered part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.HistoryOrigins and settlersSalem was founded by a Pennsylvanian potter, John Straughan, and a New Jersey clockmaker, Zadok Street, in 1806. The name Salem was taken from "Jerusalem", which means "city of peace".Early settlers to the city included the Religious Society of Friends (“Quakers”), which the school system’s sports teams honor by referring to themselves collectively as the "Quakers."Salem was incorporated in 1830.Contributions to American historyActive in the abolitionist movement of the early- to mid-19th century, Salem acted as a hub for the American Underground Railroad, with several homes serving as “stations.” Salem retains many of these homes, but none are open to the public at present.Salem was a center for reform activity in several ways. 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 so they could be freer to work for such causes as abolitionism and women's rights, was formed in Salem in 1849. The local school board at that time was composed entirely of abolitionists.