North Salem, IN

North Salem was laid out in 1835 in Eel River Township, Hendricks County, and its post office followed in 1839. The town sits where flat farm country to the east gives way to deeper ravines and woodland toward Eel River and Big Walnut Creek. State Roads 236 and 75 meet here, putting Danville about nine miles southeast and Indianapolis roughly 25 miles east. The old town grid still carries the feel of a crossroads, with farms and creek country surrounding Main Street.

ATTRONUnicorn / CC BY-SA 4.0

North Salem's biggest annual marker is Old Fashion Days, a Labor Day weekend festival that began in 1975 and includes a parade, food, crafts, music, car show, horse pull, and community events. The parade is billed as the largest in Hendricks County, drawing visitors into a town whose normal rhythm is much smaller. North West Hendricks schools serve local children, and North Salem Elementary keeps a school address in town. Fishing, farm roads, festival volunteers, and the two waterways give North Salem its local shape.