[2] When first listed in 1972, the district consisted of a cluster of buildings around Salem's Old Town Hall on Derby Square and Essex, Washington, and Front Streets.

It includes two properties previously listed individually on the National Register: the Joshua Ward House, and City Hall, both on Washington Street.

Old Town Hall is the earliest surviving municipal structure in Salem (dating from 1816–17) and is an outstanding example of Federal architecture.

The structure was saved from demolition by Salem preservation architect Philip Horton Smith in the 1930s, and underwent a partial restoration in the 1970s.

History Alive!, the professional acting branch of the Gordon College Department of Theatre, sometimes performs at Old Town Hall.