A List of Salem’s Famous Visitors

Presidents

General Ulysses S. Grant — 1860s (before presidency)

Rutherford B. Hayes – – – – – September 30, 1880

Benjamin Harrison – – – – – May 5, 1891

Theodore Roosevelt (after presidency) – – – – – May 21, 1903

William Howard Taft – – – – – October 12, 1911

Woodrow Wilson – – – – – September 16, 1919

Harry S. Truman – – – – – – 1948

Dwight Eisenhower, ….October 7, 1952

Richard Nixon —1964

John F. Kennedy —- 1960 (before presidency)

Herbert Hoover resided in Salem in his youth. He returned many times, lastly in 1955

Others

Susan B. Anthony- – – – – – – – – 1871

General William Sherman – – – – – 1876

Belva Lockwood – – – – – 1885

John Philip Sousa’s Band – – – – – October 11, 1902

John L. Sullivan – – – – – June 20, 1905

Knute Rockne – – – – – July 2, 1925

William Jennings Bryan – – – – – several times

General John J. Pershing – – – – – January 21, 1920

Clark Gable – – – – – 1920s

Charles Lindbergh – – – – -1927

Dwight D. Eisenhower (presidential campaign swing as candidate) – – – – – October 7, 1952

Mary Pickford (visited then-Governor Paul Patterson) – – – – – 1953

John F. Kennedy (as U.S. Senator) – – – – – 1959/1960

Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong – – – – – 1959

Anthropologist Margaret Mead – – – – – several times

John F. Kennedy (presidential campaign swing as candidate) – – – – – September 7, 1960

Joe Louis – – – – – January, 1961

Sonny and Cher – – – – – 1964

Robert Kennedy (presidential campaign swing) – – – – – 1968

Atheist leader Madalyn Murray O’Hair – – – –  October 23, 1968

Actor James Drury (visited his hometown of Salem) – – – – – August 18, 1972

Roy Rogers – – – – – 1972

Jack Nicholson – – – 1975

Jerry Falwell – – – – – May 19, 1981

James Garner (filming TV movie in Salem) – – – – – 1986

Smother Brothers – – – – – 1988

Dolly Parton – – – – – – – – -1989

Bill Bob Thornton – – – – 2001

Bruce Willis – – – – – – – – 2001

Michael Moore- – – – – – -2005

Back

Bibliography:

Statesman-Journal newspaper, Celebrating 150 Years of Serving The Community of Salem Supplement , Articles From March 18, 2001

This article originally appeared on the original Salem Online History site and has not been updated since 2006.