West Salem in Wayne County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

West Salem City Hall

Photographed by Tom Bosse, August 6, 2017

1. West Salem City Hall Marker

Inscription. The West Salem City Hall reflects a late-1800s municipal trend to house many civic functions under one roof. The fire station, jail, and council chambers occupied the ground level, while the second floor hosted a public auditorium, or "opera house". Designed by native son William K. Shilling, later an internationally prominent architect, the Romanesque-style building was completed in 1899 at a cost of $9,077 and soon became the center of civic life in West Salem. Band concerts, vaudeville shows, town meetings, and graduation ceremonies were conducted in the opera house during its heyday before World War II. During the Cold War it was designated as a Civil Defense emergency field hospital. It remains a focal point of the West Salem community.

Erected 2001 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, The West Salem Historical Society, The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 1-85.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1899.

Location. 40° 58.303′ N, 82° 6.574′ W. Marker is in West Salem, Ohio, in Wayne County. It is on South Main

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Street (Ohio Route 301), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: West Salem OH 44287, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Amish Country

and in Greater Cleveland.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ohio Buckeye Tree (approx. 2.4 miles away); Homerville Veterans Memorial (approx. 4.1 miles away); Galion Horse-Drawn Road Grader (approx. 4.1 miles away); Red Haw Cemetery Veterans Memorial (approx. 5½ miles away); Polk Veterans Monument (approx. 5.8 miles away); Sullivan Veterans Monument (approx. 7 miles away); Sullivan Veterans War Memorial (approx. 7 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 8.2 miles away).

Photographed by Tom Bosse, August 6, 2017

2. West Salem City Hall Marker

West Salem City Hall image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, August 6, 2017

3. West Salem City Hall

Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 794 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 24, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.