Ring in the new year by learning the history of local places and landmarks at the Salem Museum and their featured exhibit “Hometown History.”
Scattered throughout Salem and the surrounding area are countless reminders of Salem’s past. Many of these locations have either been replaced or forgotten after years of development. “Hometown History: Salem’s Forgotten Beginnings” sets out to share these historic locations’ forgotten stories.
This includes the story of the Leas & McVitty Tannery. From 1889 to 1973, one of Salem’s largest employers was the Leas & McVitty Tannery. The business provided leather hides for a number of local and national manufacturing companies. During the First and Second World Wars, the Leas & McVitty Tannery provided the leather predominantly used in the combat boots issued to U.S. servicemen. The Leas & McVitty Tannery operated until 1973, when the tannery began to be phased out of production. That same year a fire destroyed much of the property, permanently closing the historic business.
These tools from the Leas & McVitty Tannery laboratory are currently on display in the Salem Museum’s featured exhibit “Hometown History.”
The Salem Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and located at 801 E. Main St.
