SALEM – The Salem Community Building, formerly the Salem Town House, has been entered in the National Register of Historic Places, according to Earle G. Shettleworth Jr., director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, whose staff prepared the nomination.

The designation indicates that the property has been documented, evaluated and considered worthy of preservation and protection as part of the nation’s cultural heritage.

The Salem Town House is the only historic public building in Salem Township. It was built in 1858 by the residents of Salem for use as a polling place, town meeting site and the location of all governmental activities.

By default, as the only large gathering facility in the town until 1901, it also provided space for religious services, weddings, funerals and meetings of social and voluntary clubs.

The building served the town of Salem until the municipalities’ charter was forfeited to the state in 1945, and the town became an unorganized territory under state administration. At that time, it was renamed the Salem Community Building, and it continues to provide the community with meeting and performance space.

The building is the only extant, local reminder of the community’s existence as the town of Salem between 1823 and 1945. The former Salem Town House was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its role in the political, governmental and social history of the town of Salem.