fiscal year ending in April 1981 revealed a surplus of just over $3,500, due to the oil boom. Education The first school house located within the limits of West Salem was a frame building about , erected in 1850-51 and taught by Martin Hauser. On November 8, 1853, Stephen Gunn sold a tract four rods (20.1 m) square (an area of 0.10 acre) out of Lot 43 lying just across the street south of the present site to the trustees for school purposes for $2.00. A two-story four-room brick building was erected on the present site in 1880 at a cost of about $4,000. This building was later enlarged by the addition of four more rooms. The district was greatly enlarged in 1947 by the annexation of Hedrick, Gates, Burton, and Armstrong schools. A modern addition was erected in 1952 at a cost of $135,000. The old building was razed and the new part was completed in 1960 at a cost of $119,000. Kindergarten was added in 1951-52. West Salem is currently part of Edwards County Community School District #1. References Further reading Charles Boewe, The Town on the Square: Portrait of a Vanished World (Baltimore: PublishAmerica, 2008) External links Historic West Salem Moravian Cemetery Edwards County Community Unit School District #1- West Salem School Villages in Edwards County, Illinois Villages in Illinois Settlements in the America (North) Province of the Moravian Church Populated places established in 1857 German-American history 1857 establishments in Illinois