The name Salem originates from the Hebrew word shalom, meaning peace. Salem life was traditionally rooted in agriculture, yet residents also respected Yankee ingenuity. This was reflected in the characters who lived in the town or migrated to its lush countryside. Prior to the Civil War, Salem had seven sawmills, two gristmills, six schools, four churches, a piano factory, an ink factory, and a cotton mill. Rosewood and mahogany pianos were made entirely by hand by the Whittlesey brothers, and Music Vale Seminary was the first music school in the country to confer teaching degrees. Salem also boasts writers, artists, an eccentric inventor who lit up part of Salem with his own rural electrification, a U.S. senator, an explorer who discovered Machu Picchu, and an honored Holocaust war hero. Though quiet and unobtrusive, Salem is blossoming with new citizenry, and it is still uncovering history with recent archaeological excavations. Mystery and untold history come together in Salem.