Salem, Bastrop County, Texas
Unincorporated community
Salem is located in Texas
Salem
Salem
Salem is located in the United States
Salem
Salem
Coordinates: 29°50′40″N 97°19′43″W / 29.84444°N 97.32861°W / 29.84444; -97.32861
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountyBastrop
Elevation
476 ft (145 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)512 & 737
GNIS feature ID1379007[1]

Salem is an unincorporated community in Bastrop County, Texas, United States.[1] The town is one of 17 communities named Salem in the state.[2] It is located within the Greater Austin metropolitan area.

History

Originally called St. Philip's Colony, the agricultural community was first populated by slaves freed following the Civil War.[3] Since it was paired with the white town of Jeddo, it is unclear how many people lived in Salem.[2] St. Philip's Church and several houses were already in existence when the school was built. The religious denomination of the church is unknown.[2] St. Philips Church and several houses have marked Salem on county maps from the 1940s to the 2010s, but no population estimates are available.[3]

Geography

Salem is located 2 mi (3.2 km) northwest of Jeddo in southern Bastrop County.[3] It is also located 25 miles south of the town of Bastrop and 50 miles southeast of Austin.

Education

A two-room, one-teacher schoolhouse for 29 children was constructed in 1881. In 1905, the school had 55 students.[3] It merged with the Jeddo district when the county instituted a school district system in 1907.[3] The ruins of the old school still exist.[2] Today, the community is served by the Smithville Independent School District.

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Salem, Bastrop County, Texas
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Salem". Lost Texas. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Smyrl, Vivian Elizabeth. "Salem, Texas (Bastrop County)". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
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