Editing Delmont, Pennsylvania (section)

==History==
Delmont was initially known as New Salem. The 300 acres of land was warranted to William Wilson in 1784, and upon his arrival in 1785, he named the area New Salem. In 1812, a post office was established in New Salem, "Salem X Roads" (Salem Crossroads), Pennsylvania. Hugh Bigham was the first postmaster. Wilson continued to farm on the land until he died in 1796.

After Wilson died in 1796, his estate was divided between his sons, Thomas and George. It was not until 1812 that the patent was validated. Eventually, the family conveyed their deeds to Thomas, who became the property's sole owner. Thomas divided the property into 48 lots to form a crossroads village. Thomas Wilson designed the town around a watering trough built in 1810 by Hugh Bigham. The watering trough was initially known as the running pump. The watering trough was connected with wooden pipes to a big Spring that's never known to run dry. In 1814, 48 lots were auctioned off two days before Christmas to form a crossroads town. As the area developed, the town was referred to locally as Salem Crossroads.

On April 8, 1833, the town was incorporated as "New Salem Borough." The mailing address was Salem Crossroads until 1871 when town postmaster Zachariah Zimmerman changed it to Delmont. The town and the post office carried two different names until May 16, 1967, when residents voted to change the borough's name to Delmont after a promotional campaign by then-Mayor Franklin Mangery. Major navigational roads were built through the area in the late 18th century, and local Route 66 was built in 1800. The East-West Northern Turnpike was completed in 1819, linking [[Philadelphia]] to [[Pittsburgh]]. Delmont was a busy stagecoach stop boasting at one time five stage coach lines through the village. Travelers would stop, tired and hungry, and patronize the several inns and taverns in town. In 1853, the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]] was completed through [[Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania|Westmoreland County]] to Pittsburgh. This was a faster, more economical way to travel. In 1855, the last stagecoach passed through the crossroads village, ending the stagecoach era for the crossroads town.<ref name= "delmontsearight">{{cite news |url=http://triblive.com/home/2661895-74/delmont-searight-salem-book-photos-township-history-coal-trough-arcadia#axzz2qDcTh2oq |title=Book's pages flip through rich history of Delmont, Salem Township |date=October 22, 2012 |agency=Trib Total Media |access-date=January 12, 2014}}</ref>

Several areas and businesses in and around the borough still carry the Salem reference. Others refer to "Cloverleaf," which referred to the interchange at [[U.S. Route 22 in Pennsylvania|Routes 22]] and [[U.S. Route 66|66]], formerly a "cloverleaf" style exchange. It was changed to a single-point diamond interchange in 2000.

In the late 1970s, the Salem Crossroads Historical Restoration Society worked to maintain the local history and restore the area. As a result of its efforts, the [[National Register of Historic Places]] listed the [[Salem Crossroads Historic District]] in 1978.<ref name= "nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref> In 1980, the society purchased Shields Farm. The farm hosts an annual Apple' N Arts festival during the first week of October; the festival held a 40th-anniversary event in 2022. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/delmont-group-presses-on-through-rain-welcomes-many-visitors-to-apple-n-arts-fest/ |title=Delmont group presses on through rain, welcomes many visitors to Apple' n Arts fest |date=October 2022}}</ref>

The society disbanded at some point after its initial accomplishments. Downtown Delmont lost some businesses with the opening of chain retailers along the U.S. Route 22 corridor. Residents have discussed ways to reinvest in downtown Delmont and focus again on the town's historic resources.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/delmont-residents-seek-to-establish-historical-society-1st-meeting-on-jan-27/ |title=Delmont residents seek to establish historical society |date=January 15, 2020}}</ref>

''Salem Township and Delmont'', a book about the area's history by writer Tracy Searight, was published in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.triblive.com/news/books-pages-flip-through-rich-history-of-delmont-salem-township-2/ |title=Welcome}}</ref>