Salem is a city in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 5,146. It is the county seat of Salem County, the most rural county in the state of New Jersey. The name Salem is related to the Hebrew word shalom, meaning "peace". The town and colony of Salem was founded in 1675 by John Fenwick. On February 25, 1858, it was reincorporated as Salem City.

Fort Nya Elfsborg was a settlement that was part of New Sweden. Fort Nya Elfsborg was built shortly after Johan Printz, governor of New Sweden, arrived in the colony in 1643. Named after the old Älvsborg Fortress off shore from Gothenburg, Sweden, it was located on the Delaware River near Alloway Creek. Fort Nya Elfsborg was one of the earliest European settlements in the State of New Jersey. In 1655 Peter Stuyvesant, on behalf of the Dutch West India Company, re-asserted control over the region, which was later captured by the British in 1664.

Salem City is the county seat of Salem County. The Salem County Courthouse serves the county while the Old Salem County Courthouse, situated on the same block, serves Salem City. The Old Salem County Courthouse is the oldest active courthouse in New Jersey and is the second oldest courthouse in continuous use in the United States. The present courthouse was erected in 1735 during the reign of King George II using locally manufactured bricks. The building was enlarged in 1817 and additionally enlarged and remodeled in 1908. Its distinctive bell tower is essentially unchanged and the original bell sits in the courtroom.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem%2C_New_Jersey