Salem

Salem: Old Salem County Courthouse

Salem, city, seat (1694) of Salem county, southwestern New Jersey, U.S. It lies along the Salem River near the latter’s confluence with the Delaware River, 34 miles (55 km) southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1675 by John Fenwick, an English Quaker. The Friends (Quakers) Burial Ground in Salem has the Salem Oak—a tree 80 feet (25 metres) high that is said to be more than 500 years old—under which Fenwick signed a treaty with the Delaware Indians. The Alexander Grant House (1721) is now headquarters of the Salem County Historical Society. Fort Mott State Park, site of an American Civil War fortification, and Finns Point National Cemetery, containing the graves of more than 2,400 Confederate prisoners and 300 Union soldiers, are immediately northwest, fronting the Delaware River. Salem’s industries include the manufacture of glass containers, floor coverings, canned goods, and clothing. Inc. village, 1695; city, 1858. Pop. (2000) 5,857; (2010) 5,146.