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New Deal Post Offices and Art in West Virginia
Item 3 of 16
This is a contributing entry for New Deal Post Offices and Art in West Virginia and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.

Little information exists about this Works Progress Administration (WPA) post office, with even less information available regarding the mural it contains titled “Visions of the Development of Salem.” A post office was established in Salem as early as 1831, though without a permanent location. In its first century of operation, the postal base of operations in Salem could be found in a tavern, railroad station, and hardware store. This building was the first permanent home for the service and was completed in 1940. The structure is typical of WPA architecture and is fairly described by the 1980 Salem Historic District National Register form as “severe.”[1] “Visions of the Development of Salem” can be found in the lobby of the building. Painted using oil on canvas in 1942, artist Berni Glasgow included a wide variety of figures. These include allegorical figures representing the glass factories, oil and gas refineries, and farms that composed the backbone of Salem’s economy. Other figures include a student, representing Salem’s educational activities, and a portrait of G.C. Ross, the town’s first postmaster. The style of the image is more classically European than other WPA works tended to be; it was more typical to see Art Deco or Mexican Muralism influences in these works. The work is optimistic and captures Salem’s success while remaining hopeful for the future.


The Salem Post Office.

Cloud, Plant, Window, Sky

“Visions of the Development of Salem.”

Art, Painting, Event, Picture frame

Lorance, Nancy. New Deal/WPA Art in Salem, West Virginia, WPA Murals. Accessed July 7th 2021. http://wpamurals.org/salemwv.htm.

[1] Marshall, Paul D. Salem Historic District, National Register of Historic Places. July 1st 1980. Accessed July 7th 2021. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/harrison/80004022.pdf.

Park, Marlene. Markowitz, Gerald E. Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Temple University Press, 1984.

Post Office Mural - Salem WV, The Living New Deal. Accessed July 7th 2021. https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/post-office-mural-salem-wv/.

Salem Post Office, New Deal Art Registry. Accessed July 7th 2021. https://www.newdealartregistry.org/map/Salem/WV/.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Roy, Vida J. WPA Murals. Accessed July 7th, 2021. http://wpamurals.org/salemwv.htm.