Salem Township is one of the seventeen townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of Highland County

Highland County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 40,875 people, 15,587 households, and 11,394 families residing in the county. The population density was 74 people per square mile . There were 17,583 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 682 people in the township.

Geography

Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Dodson Township
  Dodson Township, Highland County, Ohio
  Dodson Township is one of the seventeen townships of Highland County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,514 people in the township, 1,166 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Hamer Township
  Hamer Township, Highland County, Ohio
  Hamer Township is one of the seventeen townships of Highland County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 699 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Union Township - north...
  
   - east
• Clay Township
  Clay Township, Highland County, Ohio
  Clay Township is one of the seventeen townships of Highland County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,219 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - south
• Green Township, Brown County
  Green Township, Brown County, Ohio
  Green Township is one of the sixteen townships of Brown County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,389 people in the township, 1,978 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - west
• Perry Township, Brown County
  Perry Township, Brown County, Ohio
  Perry Township is one of the sixteen townships of Brown County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,830 people in the township, 4,367 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southwest

No municipalities are located in Salem Township, although the unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 of Pricetown

Pricetown, Ohio

Pricetown is an unincorporated community in eastern Salem Township, Highland County, Ohio, United States. It was platted by Elijah, David and Jane Faris, along with Alexander Murphy on April 13, 1847 and named for Common Pleas Judge J.W. Price of Hillsboro. Its mail service is from Lynchburg...

 lies in the township's east.

History

The township was created from portions of New Market

New Market Township, Highland County, Ohio

New Market Township is one of the seventeen townships of Highland County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,941 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships:...

 and Union

Union Township, Highland County, Ohio

Union Township is one of the seventeen townships of Highland County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,710 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...

 townships on August 9, 1819. Since then it has relinquished much of its land to Dodson

Dodson Township, Highland County, Ohio

Dodson Township is one of the seventeen townships of Highland County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,514 people in the township, 1,166 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

, Clay

Clay Township, Highland County, Ohio

Clay Township is one of the seventeen townships of Highland County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,219 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...

 and Hamer township

Hamer Township, Highland County, Ohio

Hamer Township is one of the seventeen townships of Highland County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 699 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Union Township - north...

s as they were formed.

Currently it is the smallest of the seventeen townships in Highland County with 12700 acres (51.4 km²). Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 relics have been found on many farms and properties in the township, as it was a major Shawnee

Shawnee

The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...

 hunting and ceremonial region. The most interesting Native American site in Salem Township is Fort Salem, which consists of two large earthen mounds about 80 feet (24.4 m) in length; as they sit on private property, they have never been excavated. However, Dr Raymond Baby, curator of archaeology for the Ohio Historical Society

Ohio Historical Society

The Ohio Historical Society is a non-profit organization incorporated in 1885 as The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society "to promote a knowledge of archaeology and history, especially in Ohio"...

, visited the mounds in 1973 and stated that they were in a perfect state of preservation and confirmed their Native American origins.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.