What would have been William Jennings Bryan’s 164th birthday was celebrated in Salem on Sunday with open houses and a program about Bryan’s time growing up in Salem.
The Salem Historical Commission held open houses at both the Bryan Birthplace Museum on South Broadway as well as at the Salem History Museum downtown.
Organizers were pleased with the more than 50 who showed up.
Salem City Councilman and the council’s representative on the historical commission Jim Koehler says now that a portion of the south rear wall of the home has been stabilized, more improvements are planned.
“We have all of the outside ready to go. We’re going to be scraping and painting it in the near future as soon as the weather breaks. We’re going to try and get some lighting in front of the building and maybe a little more inside the building to highlight some of the stuff that we have.”
Historical Commission member Luke Purcell says they are still welcoming donations of historical materials, including those related to Bryan.
“It would be great if we could be open more often. We are working towards that. The physical improvements we have made to the building have really made it more accessible and more stable. More events like this for his birthday, other civic holidays, or just private tours. If anybody would like to have a tour of the Bryan home, just call city hall. We’re going to do two this week. If you have ever wanted to come, we can schedule that, and help you out.”
The open houses were followed by a program on William Jennings Bryan’s youth in Salem. Historian Frank Brinkerhoff noted Bryan’s religious upbringing and his donation in 1918 of the pulpit still in use at the Salem Presbyterian Church. He used the pulpit to deliver his program.
The Bryan Birthplace home decorated for Sunday’s open house.
