Salem, city, Columbiana county, northeastern Ohio, U.S., 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Youngstown. It was settled in 1803 by Quakers from Salem, N.J., and was laid out in 1806. Before the American Civil War it was a station on the Underground Railroad for escaping slaves, and it was also the western headquarters of the Anti-Slavery Society, which published the Anti-Slavery Bugle.
Salem’s manufactures include tools and dies, hoses, filters, pumps and valves, and manufacturing equipment. The Salem campus of Kent State University was opened in 1962. The Salem Jubilee (July) commemorates the city’s founding. The Salem Historical Society curates a historical museum and a replica of Liberty Hall, the Anti-Slavery Society’s headquarters in the city. Inc. village, 1830; city, 1887. Pop. (2000) 12,197; (2010) 12,303.