Salem in Dent County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
H & R Block - Block 15
Salem's Historical Walking Tour
Photographed by Thomas Smith, June 26, 2024
1. H & R Block Marker
Inscription.
H and R Block - Block 15. . A tobacco barn was located here and during the Civil War. A part of the battle of Salem was fought here. Later the building was torn down and the lot was used as a storage for barrels of salt, factory wagons, plows, etc., that were owned by A. H. and H. B. Clark. At one time, there was a well dug on this spot. Louis Fischer bought the lot and built the present day Fischer Building. Mr. Fischer ran a mercantile until his death. An embalmer and undertaker, J. D. Musgraves, occupied the first floor of the building and later it was Day and Stephens Hardware. The second floor was the opera house. The opera house had ornate painted panels on the walls, pictures of famous Shakespearean actors of the time and a stage with curtains. The room was lit with kerosene lamps and chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. School graduation exercises were held here, along with alumni association events. This building was later sold to Professor J. W. Hunt, who in turn sold it to the Salem Masonic Lodge. The lodge remodeled the interior of the opera house. This is still the home of the Salem Masonic Lodge.
A tobacco barn was located here and during the Civil War. A part of the battle of Salem was fought here. Later the building was torn down and the lot was used as a storage for barrels of salt, factory wagons, plows, etc., that were owned by A. H. and H. B. Clark. At one time, there was a well dug on this spot. Louis Fischer bought the lot and built the present day Fischer Building. Mr. Fischer ran a mercantile until his death. An embalmer and undertaker, J. D. Musgraves, occupied the first floor of the building and later it was Day & Stephens Hardware. The second floor was the opera house. The opera house had ornate painted panels on the walls, pictures of famous Shakespearean actors of the time and a stage with curtains. The room was lit with kerosene lamps and chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. School graduation exercises were held here, along with alumni association events. This building was later sold to Professor J. W. Hunt, who in turn sold it to the Salem Masonic Lodge. The lodge remodeled the interior of the opera house. This is still the home of the Salem Masonic Lodge.
Location. 37° 38.728′ N, 91° 32.248′ W. Marker is in Salem, Missouri, in Dent County. It is at the intersection of West Fourth Street and North Washington Street, on the right when traveling west on West Fourth Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 W 4th St, Salem MO 65560, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Missouri. It is also in the American Ozarks, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, 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 territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: L. N. Coffman Company (here, next to this marker); Pratt, Mitchell & Company, CPA (within shouting distance of this marker);
Credits. This page was last revised on November 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 2, 2024, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 213 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 2, 2024, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
