Salem, Alabama
15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1936 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Salem census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35647. The Survey maps it on the Salem quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 15 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1936 USGS Salem quadrangle1:24000
- 1948 USGS Salem quadrangle1:24000
- 1951 USGS Salem quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1956 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1963 USGS Gadsden quadrangle1:250000
- 1986 USGS Tuscumbia quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
26 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 26 fires within 5 miles of Salem between 1995 and 2019, burning about 132 acres in total. None started naturally. 7 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 9 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 7 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Other causes | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 4 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 4 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 3 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 4.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 August 2011 | Debris and open burning | 15 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | MONDAY ROAD, AL |
| 30 August 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 23 August 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 15 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 19 August 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | 12 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Salem: 2 producers, 2 unknowns. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Phosphorus-Phosphates. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilbert #1 Quarry | Phosphorus-Phosphates | Producer | 1983 | |
| Gilbert #2 Quarry | Phosphorus-Phosphates | Producer | 1983 | |
| Monsanto Phosphate Deposit No.45 | Phosphorus-Phosphates | Unknown | ||
| Monsanto Phosphate Deposit No.46 | Phosphorus-Phosphates | Unknown |
Storms near this place
10 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Salem in 10 storm reports between 2006 and 2024: 8 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $100,000 | A storm survey indicated that peak winds of 70-80 mph produced significant tree damage along with numerous powerlines down and minor structural damage across a large portion of the county. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $1,000 | A tree was knocked down. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $1,000 | A tree was knocked down. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $1,000 | A hardwood tree was knocked down. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $1,000 | Branches from trees up to 5 inches in diameter reported broken off from trees scattered along CR 99 west of Chapman Hollow Road. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | $1,000 | A tree was downed by thunderstorm winds across Dupree Hollow Road. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | Trees were knocked down at the intersection of Chapman Hollow Road and Easter Ferry Road. |
| March 2018 | Flood | Salem | - | Patterson Hill Road between Buck Island Road and Cotton Belt Road is barricaded due to the road being washed out. It is closed indefinitely pending repairs. |
| May 2006 | Tornado (F0) | Salem | - | A tornado was produced on the northern end of a strong bow echo segment. The tornado touched down several times along a 5 mile path beginning approximately two miles south of the Salem community, and ending three miles southwest of Elkmont. Several trees were either uprooted or snapped along the path, but no other property damage was observed. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Salem | - | Signs were blown. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Rozell | 1.4 miles | 14 | |
| Scarce Grease | 2.4 miles | 14 | |
| Leggtown | 2.9 miles | 15 | |
| Gipsy | 3.6 miles | 15 | |
| Clifton (historical) | 3.6 miles | 15 | |
| Gourdsville | 3.7 miles | 15 | |
| Lester | 4.1 miles | 14 | |
| Ridgway Mill | 4.1 miles | 14 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 126234. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







