Local effort restores historic street name in Salem

Written & Submitted by Jeremy Elliott

Recently, the Washington County Historical Society approached Mayor Justin Green about the possibility of correcting an error that has stood for decades in the City of Salem. We have been unable to determine when this mistake initially occurred, but the street that travels north from the top of the East Market Street hill, to Hackberry Street, at some point was erroneously named “Hayes Avenue.”

This street was added to the town of Salem during its emerging development period, on September 11, 1837. Overall this was the sixth addition to the original plat of Salem and the first of two bequeathments by Dr. Charles Hay and his wife, Helen Leonard Hay, the parents of Salem’s most noted son, the statesman, diplomat, author, and poet John Hay. The initial donation consisted of 15 lots, (which have since been divided into nearly 30 lots), and also added Locust Street to the layout of the city. The street that fronted all of these properties was originally named Hay’s Avenue, in honor of the donor, Dr. Hay. Along with numerous residences and the First Christian Church, this addition also allowed for the future construction of Salem’s first and second consolidated grade schools, beginning in 1872.

Once Mayor Green discovered that there were no residential or business addresses along the avenue, he immediately fast tracked the reparations to restore the genuine name and quickly garnered the unanimous approval of the Salem Board of Works and Public Safety. The directive to order the replacement street signs was passed to the City of Salem Streets and Sanitation Department. Upon delivery, the street department promptly installed the new “Hay’s Avenue” signs, completing the restoration of the Hay family’s pioneer legacy in the early history of our city. 

The historical society would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Mayor Justin Green and all of the associated city officials that allowed this rectification to occur in such a gracious and timely manner. We deeply appreciate the reclamation of history in our little town.