Salem Common Added to National Historic Register

The state officially announced today the addition of the Salem Common Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Main Street district was added to the National Register on April 15. According to the joint statement from Shelly Angers of the Department of Cultural Resources and Peter Michaud of the Department of Historical Resources, this marks the first addition to the National Register for Salem.

"Functioning as a local center of civic, religious, educational and community life for more than two hundred years, the Salem Common Historic District is a well-preserved example of a traditional rural New Hampshire townscape," the statement said. "The District’s meetinghouse was originally constructed in 1738 and underwent major renovations in 1838 and 1899; it continued to serve as the site for annual town meetings until 1958. Throughout the years, a variety of other historic civic buildings—including a town library, hose house, cemetery, common and memorials—were added to serve Salem’s ever-changing local government needs."

The state also announced the addition of the Pelham Library to the National Register and said both "join a growing list of significant New Hampshire buildings, districts, sites, structures and objects that are important in defining the state’s history and character, and that have been designated to the National Register for Historic Places."

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